Two of England’s top ploughmen, David Chappell and Peter Alderslade are preparing to travel to the USA later this month to compete in the 2019 World Ploughing Contest.

The World Contest will be held on August 30 and 31 on land at Baudette, Lake of the Woods, Minnesota and competitors will be travelling from no less than 28 world-wide countries to take part – from many European countries but also as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and Russia.

David Chappell from Hatfield Woodhouse, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire is the current British Conventional Ploughing Champion and Supreme British Champion and Peter Alderslade, from East Bolden, Tyne & Wear, is the current British Reversible Ploughing Champion. They know exactly what the judges will be looking for as this will be the 7th attempt at the titles by both ploughmen. In fact, this is the fourth time the two have been team-mates, having competed in 2014 (France), 2015 (Denmark) and 2016 (England).

David and Peter both have the skills required to beat their previous bests of 4th overall but they will have some tough competition from the other countries where entries include past World Champions. They have shipped their own tractors and ploughs out to the USA to help them to compete at the highest level - Peter uses a Valtra tractor and Kverneland plough and David uses a Massey Ferguson tractor and Kverneland plough.

Completing the team and judging for England is farmer Vivian Samuel from Herefordshire who has been both a ploughman and a judge in past World Ploughing Contests and he was a World Ploughing Champion himself when he won the title in New Zealand in 1980. Vivian will also act as team coach prior to the Contest to try and help both ploughmen in their bid for world honours.

After their experience of ploughing on foreign soil, David and Peter’s tractors and ploughs will be shipped back to the UK, ready for them to compete in this year’s British National Ploughing Championships which will be held at Nocton, near Lincoln on October 12 and 13, by kind permission of Beeswax Dyson Farming. Both will be striving to retain their titles and win a place at the 2020 World Ploughing Contest to be held in the Russia.