September 6, 2026 • 8 mins
Mark Dillon has a chat from the World Ploughing Champs which occurred recently.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the muster on Hokanui.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Mark Dillon has been representing New Zealand at the World
Ploughing Championships yet again over in Croatia.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Of course, he's based at Riversdale in northern Southland.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And we've all heard about the issues Bob had with
shipping containers and lack of them getting to their destinations.
The event occurred over the weekend, the World Champs. Bob
joins us to give us a rundown on how it
all went.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Bob, good afternoon. Firstly, how did the weekend treat you?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, g'day Andy. Yeah, not bad.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Yeah, I thought I played a pretty coldy plot on Friday,
which was a stubble ground, but the judges didn't agree
with me. Yeah, the Saturday we had what was meant
to be grass turn, but it was alfalfa ground, which
is looser and extremely hard. It'd be some of the
hardest ground I reckon I've ever played, but yeah, I
did have a better day on the Saturday and got
(00:55):
a bit further up the points list.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
What were the.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Issues that the judges had for the first day?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Oh, they must have been listening to different stuff than me,
and they decided to keep their points and not give
them to me, the buggers.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Can you say anything to them at the time, or
do you just have to just bite your tongue and
carry on with it?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I mean, there's no third umpire or anything, is there?
Speaker 4 (01:16):
No, there's no third umpire, you can't really, but then
once we get back and you're looking, it's hard to
tell when you're sitting on the track to see, but
once you go and have a look after you've done
the job, and compared to the top trailmen, what they've
been and what you've been, oh, it's a big learning curve,
and different gear and everything else, but yeah, it wasn't
(01:37):
a disaster, but it's all there. It's learning and learning,
and it's been a great experience, and it's been challenging
with the different gear, and then I turned up here
10 days ago and I pinched a nerve in my back,
so that hasn't been that cool either, so I know
the physio over here by first-name basis as well, so
that's been part of the experience.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
You say the ground yesterday was some of the hardest
ploughing you've ever done. Just put into context what you
came up against.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Oh, so they haven't had any rain over here for
75 days, and this foam we were ploughing on, it's
pretty much mint till, so it would have come out
of a cereal crop maybe or maize or something like that,
and this mint till with the looser on top of it,
so the ground's reasonably undulating, very compacted. The whole time
we've been here, I don't think I've seen one worm
(02:23):
in the soil, so it probably explains a bit about
soil health and how that goes towards the compaction issue.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
So overall, result-wise, where did you end up?
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, 14th, which is a bit better than last year.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I was 11th on the second day in the FFL,
which is, yeah, I was happy enough. I was straight,
which a lot of people couldn't draw straight, which probably
got me a bit further up the points list.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Had a pretty good crown, got a very good split.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Haven't actually seen the final breakdown of the points, just
to chew the fat on what kind of, there's always
room for improvement, yep. As I said to someone, the
ever-elusive perfect plot has still eluded me, but we'll keep
chipping away and trying to get better.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Well, you say some individuals are having issues having a
straight line on their plots.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Was that due to the state of the ground?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
If your gear's just not running dead true, then it'll
start walking a lot, and a lot of guys had
issues with that during their splits, that the plough was
walking around the paddock. Actually, if you studied, watched the ploughs,
you could feel it from the seat. The ploughs are
shuddering or shaking when they're going through the ground. It
was that hard, and I didn't hear it, but there's
a guy from, no, the Netherlands, just about seven or
(03:33):
eight plots up from me, and he must have hit
something and broke a colder stalk, and everything went off
like a shotgun.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Remembering you weren't in your own gear either, how did
you adapt to the messy and the plough that you
got lent?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Pretty good, it was the first day, it was one bit,
and I was getting under the pump, getting a wee
bit frustrated, and I went to lean and reach for
the wrong lever, but the second day, yeah, just took
it in my stride, and everything, yeah, I was getting
frustrated halfway through the plot, thinking, what, yeah, I've got
to do something different here, this isn't working, and Ed
started tinkering and did this wee fall and turning things,
and the ploughing improved, and it was quite funny, my
(04:07):
coach was on the end of the headland, and he goes,
he needs to give her a couple of screws on
that land well, that's about what I did, and tinkered
with a few other bits and pieces, and it improved,
and it's always a good feeling when you do something
like that, and.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
The result at the back looks better.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
This is fascinating. You have a coach for ploughing.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
What can somebody who's watching what you do compared to
your average ploughman on the tractor going about his business
in the lands and logs, what can he see differently?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Oh, we're pretty lucky. Thomas is a two-time world champion
and ploughs his jam. He lives and breathes it. Well,
he just knows. He's got that much experience under his belt.
He can see or he knows what to do to
make the result of it.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Back change. It's an experience on the site really.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
So I dare say you had a good shindig after
the event finished?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
Yeah, really awesome awards dinner last night. There was a
big business centre on the other side of town. We
didn't realise that building was there. Huge big building and
great music. A couple of babies and they had a
band playing as well so it was a good way
to finish off the week.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So therefore, the plough and the tractor you were using,
your French mates, they'll just take your Welsh mates, sorry,
it'll go back to Wales. You and Sonia and your
mum and dad, you'll get back on the plane and
come back to New Zealand shortly, I'd imagine.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
So we started stripping gear down last night. We think
we finished ploughing about 12 o'clock and then the finishing
or the end of the ploughing ceremony was about 3.30,
then back to the compound, started stripping gear down and
stuff and then we were about to get in the car,
head back out there now, start washing stuff up and
packing it away, and then I've got a few bits
and pieces I've had shipped here that I've ploughed with
(05:47):
to clean them up, and they're going to go on
to the Cavourland dealers, they're going to ship them back
to New Zealand for me.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Next year, it's in Kenya.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I mean, this sounds like a very close-knit community, the
ploughing fraternity, especially at these events. A lot of these individuals,
have they qualified to go over to Africa next year
as well?
Speaker 4 (06:07):
There's not a whole lot because we're this sort of world.
We qualify, I suppose, half six months earlier than anyone else.
But this is sort of why the Welsh guys want
to get the gear home. So it was James and
Roger George's gear from Wales I used.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
And James is.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Heading over to Ireland to have all his planners to
qualify so he can come to Kenya next year.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So that is the plan. That is the intention next
year to go to Kenya, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Yeah, I've already qualified.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
So when I won the nationals back in April, that
qualified me to come and play on Kenya for next year.
So that's the next thing, get home and there's a
few bits and pieces I want to do to the
playoff and just keep practising and anchoring away and improving
on the art.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Now it's not that long, what is it, Kenya next year,
back to the Netherlands and then New Zealand the year after.
Are people asking you about what to expect when they
come to New Zealand?
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, so because next year we were thinking that there
may not be as many countries go to Kenya, so
we did a bit of a brief presentation and had
a bit of a video running there so people can
sort of see what New Zealand's up to and that
a lot of people, if it's on their bucket list
or if they've never been to New Zealand, they think, well,
what better time to come over and compete in the
(07:22):
world or even just come over and judge or manage
and be part of the team and come and be,
as you say, Andy, there's a big family. The amount
of people that reached out to us when When we
were in a pickle with the shipping, it was really,
really awesome and humbling.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It's been great to.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Catch up with people from our playing family that we
only catch up with once a year.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Mark Dillon, congratulations once again on finishing 11th. That's no
mean feat over at World Ploughing Champs. Safe travels for you, Sonia,
your mum and dad and all your support team. And
once again, mighty congratulations. That's a hell of an effort.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Thanks, Eddie.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Mark Dillon over in Croatia.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Far cry from Northern Southland and the wet weather that
we're seeing at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
This is the muster up next. Andrew Walsh on Twin
Farm Genetics.
This is the muster on Hokanui.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Mark Dillon has been representing New Zealand at the World
Ploughing Championships yet again over in Croatia.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Of course, he's based at Riversdale in northern Southland.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And we've all heard about the issues Bob had with
shipping containers and lack of them getting to their destinations.
The event occurred over the weekend, the World Champs. Bob
joins us to give us a rundown on how it
all went.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Bob, good afternoon. Firstly, how did the weekend treat you?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, g'day Andy. Yeah, not bad.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Yeah, I thought I played a pretty coldy plot on Friday,
which was a stubble ground, but the judges didn't agree
with me. Yeah, the Saturday we had what was meant
to be grass turn, but it was alfalfa ground, which
is looser and extremely hard. It'd be some of the
hardest ground I reckon I've ever played, but yeah, I
did have a better day on the Saturday and got
(00:55):
a bit further up the points list.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
What were the.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Issues that the judges had for the first day?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Oh, they must have been listening to different stuff than me,
and they decided to keep their points and not give
them to me, the buggers.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Can you say anything to them at the time, or
do you just have to just bite your tongue and
carry on with it?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I mean, there's no third umpire or anything, is there?
Speaker 4 (01:16):
No, there's no third umpire, you can't really, but then
once we get back and you're looking, it's hard to
tell when you're sitting on the track to see, but
once you go and have a look after you've done
the job, and compared to the top trailmen, what they've
been and what you've been, oh, it's a big learning curve,
and different gear and everything else, but yeah, it wasn't
(01:37):
a disaster, but it's all there. It's learning and learning,
and it's been a great experience, and it's been challenging
with the different gear, and then I turned up here
10 days ago and I pinched a nerve in my back,
so that hasn't been that cool either, so I know
the physio over here by first-name basis as well, so
that's been part of the experience.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
You say the ground yesterday was some of the hardest
ploughing you've ever done. Just put into context what you
came up against.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Oh, so they haven't had any rain over here for
75 days, and this foam we were ploughing on, it's
pretty much mint till, so it would have come out
of a cereal crop maybe or maize or something like that,
and this mint till with the looser on top of it,
so the ground's reasonably undulating, very compacted. The whole time
we've been here, I don't think I've seen one worm
(02:23):
in the soil, so it probably explains a bit about
soil health and how that goes towards the compaction issue.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
So overall, result-wise, where did you end up?
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, 14th, which is a bit better than last year.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I was 11th on the second day in the FFL,
which is, yeah, I was happy enough. I was straight,
which a lot of people couldn't draw straight, which probably
got me a bit further up the points list.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Had a pretty good crown, got a very good split.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Haven't actually seen the final breakdown of the points, just
to chew the fat on what kind of, there's always
room for improvement, yep. As I said to someone, the
ever-elusive perfect plot has still eluded me, but we'll keep
chipping away and trying to get better.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Well, you say some individuals are having issues having a
straight line on their plots.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Was that due to the state of the ground?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
If your gear's just not running dead true, then it'll
start walking a lot, and a lot of guys had
issues with that during their splits, that the plough was
walking around the paddock. Actually, if you studied, watched the ploughs,
you could feel it from the seat. The ploughs are
shuddering or shaking when they're going through the ground. It
was that hard, and I didn't hear it, but there's
a guy from, no, the Netherlands, just about seven or
(03:33):
eight plots up from me, and he must have hit
something and broke a colder stalk, and everything went off
like a shotgun.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Remembering you weren't in your own gear either, how did
you adapt to the messy and the plough that you
got lent?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Pretty good, it was the first day, it was one bit,
and I was getting under the pump, getting a wee
bit frustrated, and I went to lean and reach for
the wrong lever, but the second day, yeah, just took
it in my stride, and everything, yeah, I was getting
frustrated halfway through the plot, thinking, what, yeah, I've got
to do something different here, this isn't working, and Ed
started tinkering and did this wee fall and turning things,
and the ploughing improved, and it was quite funny, my
(04:07):
coach was on the end of the headland, and he goes,
he needs to give her a couple of screws on
that land well, that's about what I did, and tinkered
with a few other bits and pieces, and it improved,
and it's always a good feeling when you do something
like that, and.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
The result at the back looks better.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
This is fascinating. You have a coach for ploughing.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
What can somebody who's watching what you do compared to
your average ploughman on the tractor going about his business
in the lands and logs, what can he see differently?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Oh, we're pretty lucky. Thomas is a two-time world champion
and ploughs his jam. He lives and breathes it. Well,
he just knows. He's got that much experience under his belt.
He can see or he knows what to do to
make the result of it.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Back change. It's an experience on the site really.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
So I dare say you had a good shindig after
the event finished?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
Yeah, really awesome awards dinner last night. There was a
big business centre on the other side of town. We
didn't realise that building was there. Huge big building and
great music. A couple of babies and they had a
band playing as well so it was a good way
to finish off the week.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So therefore, the plough and the tractor you were using,
your French mates, they'll just take your Welsh mates, sorry,
it'll go back to Wales. You and Sonia and your
mum and dad, you'll get back on the plane and
come back to New Zealand shortly, I'd imagine.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
So we started stripping gear down last night. We think
we finished ploughing about 12 o'clock and then the finishing
or the end of the ploughing ceremony was about 3.30,
then back to the compound, started stripping gear down and
stuff and then we were about to get in the car,
head back out there now, start washing stuff up and
packing it away, and then I've got a few bits
and pieces I've had shipped here that I've ploughed with
(05:47):
to clean them up, and they're going to go on
to the Cavourland dealers, they're going to ship them back
to New Zealand for me.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Next year, it's in Kenya.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I mean, this sounds like a very close-knit community, the
ploughing fraternity, especially at these events. A lot of these individuals,
have they qualified to go over to Africa next year
as well?
Speaker 4 (06:07):
There's not a whole lot because we're this sort of world.
We qualify, I suppose, half six months earlier than anyone else.
But this is sort of why the Welsh guys want
to get the gear home. So it was James and
Roger George's gear from Wales I used.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
And James is.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Heading over to Ireland to have all his planners to
qualify so he can come to Kenya next year.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So that is the plan. That is the intention next
year to go to Kenya, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Yeah, I've already qualified.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
So when I won the nationals back in April, that
qualified me to come and play on Kenya for next year.
So that's the next thing, get home and there's a
few bits and pieces I want to do to the
playoff and just keep practising and anchoring away and improving
on the art.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Now it's not that long, what is it, Kenya next year,
back to the Netherlands and then New Zealand the year after.
Are people asking you about what to expect when they
come to New Zealand?
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, so because next year we were thinking that there
may not be as many countries go to Kenya, so
we did a bit of a brief presentation and had
a bit of a video running there so people can
sort of see what New Zealand's up to and that
a lot of people, if it's on their bucket list
or if they've never been to New Zealand, they think, well,
what better time to come over and compete in the
(07:22):
world or even just come over and judge or manage
and be part of the team and come and be,
as you say, Andy, there's a big family. The amount
of people that reached out to us when When we
were in a pickle with the shipping, it was really,
really awesome and humbling.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It's been great to.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Catch up with people from our playing family that we
only catch up with once a year.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Mark Dillon, congratulations once again on finishing 11th. That's no
mean feat over at World Ploughing Champs. Safe travels for you, Sonia,
your mum and dad and all your support team. And
once again, mighty congratulations. That's a hell of an effort.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Thanks, Eddie.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Mark Dillon over in Croatia.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Far cry from Northern Southland and the wet weather that
we're seeing at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
This is the muster up next. Andrew Walsh on Twin
Farm Genetics.
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