Taking part counts
Previous finalists back on his horse to try again
Silsoe is the venue for the
1999 Tractor Driver of the Year
competition on Aug 10. In
the first of a two-part
series, Andy Moore spoke
to three of the five finalists
TRY again was the advice after Roger Denton was unsuccessful in 1997s Tractor Driver of the Year competition.
With the attitude of getting straight back on your horse, this year the Berks farmer qualified for the finals for a second time. "Getting through to the finals before has boosted my confidence and should stand me in good stead for this years event," says Mr Denton.
Key to his success, he reckons, is the practical experience gained on the 229ha (550-acre) mixed family farm. Working with a father-and-brother team at Woodspeen Farm, near Newbury, his main training comes from a Massey Ferguson 398 and a Case MX135.
With contractors employed for drilling and harvesting maize and cereals, cultivation work is handled by a five-furrow Dowdeswell plough and press/power harrow combination.
Mr Dentons further expertise is gained from a New Holland D1000 large square baler and subsequent haulage work throughout the summer.
In the quieter winter months, hands-on experience is achieved through maintenance work and his cherished hobby – bargain hunting at farm sales.
"Farm sales are useful for picking up kit such as rolls, harrows or hay turners, items which are easily checked for wear," says Mr Denton.
Bargain hunting aside, he believes the main source of inspiration for the finals will come from his three-month-old baby daughter, Harriet. "I am sure she will be proud of me whatever the outcome," he concludes.
Homework helps provide the answers
SPEED, efficiency and safety were the key thoughts in contractor employee Owen Smiths mind as he set to qualify for this years finals
Getting through to the semi-finals last year gave Owen Smith time to do his homework and give better answers at the questionnaire stage this year. "With health and safety issues being the main emphasis of the semi-finals, I think I scored higher on the questionnaire than last year," he says.
Homework aside, Mr Smith believes another factor in his favour is having the courage to work in front of a large audience, such as experienced at the Royal Show.
That confidence, he says, has been built up gradually by operating large machinery for his contracting firm – often with farmers watching at the gateway.
An MB Trac equipped with sprayer and 24m boom to apply agrochemicals to about 8333ha (20,000 acres) is typical of the large machinery he operates around his Suffolk contracting base.
"Spraying such a large acreage, requires meticulous attention to detail to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty," he insists.
Spraying occupies Mr Smiths time from March to September. The rest of the year is spent mainly behind the wheel of a Riecam RBM 300S self-propelled sugar beet harvester.
Only at the end of the beet harvesting campaign, in the run-up before drilling, does Mr Smith manage to squeeze in his two weeks annual holiday.
His career started in the early 1990s after graduating from Otley Agricultural College near Ipswich, Suffolk. Mr Smith first joined the International Agricultural Exchange and worked with large machinery in Canada and Australia.
Recent involvement with the IAE has included helping at seminars and interviewing students for overseas exchange. The ability to converse with people will give him the edge in the contest, he believes: "Although there will probably be more experienced people, my aim is to win, not to come second."
Taking part counts
STAN House, is competing in his second final in six years.
As one of the more mature finalists, he believes it is the taking part, rather than the fierce competition which really matters.
"Besides being a good day out at the Royal Show, I entered the competition mainly for camaraderie, winning the final would be a bonus," says Mr House.
His attitude comes from 23 years as tractor driver on East Farm near Somerton in Somerset.
Working with another driver and his employer, Mr Houses time involves stubble-to-stubble tractor operations on 242ha (600 acres) of cereals. His trusty steed is a 130hp turbo-charged New Holland 7840 which has clocked up 6000 hours in six years from new.
"My principal tractor driving tasks are ploughing, drilling and spraying – operations demanding accuracy and efficiency."
Those two attributes, he says, are down to proper training. In Mr Houses case, that covers everything from achieving a spraying certificate to attending a course to improve his hobby of photography.
But no amount of training can prepare you for the pre-final nerves, he says. Although as soon as he sits in the cab, all the anxiety disappears which allows him to concentrate on the job in hand.
"It is easier to perform in front of judges who are easy-going rather than strict and serious," he says. "One said to me a few years ago, not you again!" *