For our annual Ford & Fordson Team Day last year (September 16th), we were guests in Nieuwe Pekela, with the Veninga family. The weather conditions were ideal, with lots of sun and a temperature of about 24°C.

We ploughed on peat colonial sandy soil and the crop that had grown on it was fibre hemp. This was difficult to plough under because hemp is very tough, so you had to have the discs and shares sharp. For example, there were ploughmen who dismantled their front furrows to prevent bulldozing.

Surprising winners emerged; Jan Klaas Dam won the parallel ploughing, and this was his first time participating – a handsome win. This year the Piet Schoon Trophy went to Roel Mennega from Eext after he achieved the most points of all. Piet’s son didn’t do too badly, either, as he came 4th in the circulating teams. Menno de Graaf brought his 1926 Fordson F, which was the oldest tractor at the event, and Berend Mighels was also competing with his 1944 Fordson N.

We don’t see these tractors very often on a ploughing day like this. Next time we want to organise another team day in Drenthe! Jans Stevens and Foppe Drent.

The Isle of Wight Classic Tractors Charity Road Run took place on December 27th and, thankfully, we

enjoyed a mostly dry day despite the forecast of rain and gales.

We met at a well-known DIY store’s car park which, at that time of morning, was reasonably clear of cars. That was just as well as we had another record turnout, with 85 tractors of all shapes and sizes in attendance; ranging from little grey Fergies to a massive, 450hp John Deere HR10. There was, of course, a good collection of Fordson, Ford and New Holland tractors as well, including everything from Majors and Super Majors plus 1000 Series models through to 40 and TM Series machines. There was one particular newcomer – a TN 95F – that was an interesting tractor that’s used for orchard work.

The convoy followed a zig-zag route over the west of the island, taking in the villages of Porchfield, Newtown, Carisbrooke, Bowcombe, Gatcombe, Chale Green, Shorwell and Brighstone, then onto the Military Road at the south-west corner of the island where the view of the stormy sea was spectacular.

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