Ploughing 2025

Limestone Cowboy

Went today kind of last minute decision and hadn't been for 7 or 8 years. Landed at 1 o clock and no bother with traffic getting in or out. I was tams approved for a mobile crush and penning and its out the start of November so wanted to take a look at the few different crowds making them. Is it just me or is it very hard to get talking to the people manning the stands? I did a deal on one eventually but I was a long time waiting around trying to get talking to them and all of them seemed to be the same. They must have to deal with some amount of tyre kickers. I would say overall traffic management and parking is a lot more efficient than Tullamore show but I think Tullamore is a better day out.

awaywithyou

Just back home from it... handy crowd today.. they said 62k... felt more like 50k at most.. arrived at 11:30am parking no problem.. was able to walk around at our ease.... thought the stands were well laid out.. so saw them all.. non farming stuff kept separate to the farming stuff... which was good... definitely the whole thing gone a bit stale but not sure what can be done to freshen it up a bit.. kids were happy out.. got a picture with micky Martin and Jimmy gavin we bumped into them by chance as we were walking past NPA tent heading for car.. couldn't get over the security they had.. must be 10/12 guys around with them.. having said that when I asked one of them about getting pictures with kids they were very obliging and micheal and Jim were happy to stand for pictures..

The only thing that i was not happy about was having drive straight on at borrisokane and head for cloghan and came out at blueball instead of turning right for birr when in borrisokane and then tullamore... that road we went was not great and a bloody truck doing 40mph was in front of us for most of that route...

Tis no wonder posters on here don't understand how much rain we are getting in Kerry... I went into a paddock yest to replace a fence post made sure the 4wd was on in the tractor... 5foot long 5inch thick post went into the ground like a hot knife through butter... parked car in stubble field today and it was bone bone dry... some difference..

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123829537#Comment_123829537

it’s very hard to get talking to anyone, if they just put up the prices I think it would eliminate most of the pointless conversations. I spoke to someone on each stand eventually and priced calf gates & barriers, weighing scales and milk carts and a few more bits I have to get. I made a few calls today to local suppliers and beat the qoutes for the scales and milk carts and matched the gates and barriers qoutes I got at the ploughing for the very same stuff. I remember last year I had slats priced from Drumderry and Banaghers a few weeks before the ploughing, the prices I got at the ploughing were far more expensive. I really don’t know if there are deals to be got there at all but it’s brilliant to see the stuff from all companies in the one go.

road_high

I can’t believe much serious business is done solely at the ploughing? Surely it’s more of a PR marketing presence for larger items/investments with a follow up after.
Smaller handy items of course like hand tools etc sold on the day and in bulk depending on the business

Kevhog1988

Didn't make it. Work is very busy with a new role so I'm very busy.

My chap went and said it was very hard to get a price on anything. They may have thought he was a tire kicker though.

Conversations 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123829537#Comment_123829537

What one did you go with?

Looking for a crate with scales myself, handling facilities are fairly rough.

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123829975#Comment_123829975

Went with the Barrett one. It seemed the best of the more basic ones and it has a very good headgate on it, removable side bars and sliding back gate. The tams reference costs aren't great for them.

emaherx

I was there for 2 days with work, It's a long day standing around talking to people, but a positive experience talking with existing customers (thankfully) as well as potential new ones. Much and all as I love talking about software, EID, scales and other interconnected things, I think I'll be quiet for a few days now!

Only had a quick run around other stands but agree with others on it seeming a bit smaller than usual, but there was still a decent crowd recorded considering the weather forecasted, I found traffic handy enough too, but I was traveling early in and late out. I thought there was a lot of tired looking faces leaving yesterday evening, both exhibiters and visitors.

kerryjack

was at it yesterday we stayed in Athlone for a few days and got in and out very quickly, bought 2 youngsters with us well 10 and 12 and they seemed to know more than I did, great music in the beer tents food in the food trailers wasn't great and a bit pricey, was in at 9 and out the gate at 4 and I was completely bolloxed heading back to car. Had boots on me probably weren't designed for walking but I was wrecked. For me it's still a good day out well organised and plenty to see and keep us entertained and kids bought a few bits and met a few tic tokers so all good.

have2flushtwice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123829537#Comment_123829537

Like the price is the price, it's not as if they are weighing it up as they go. Throw out the price early and if you want it you will stay there for longer .

I was looking at a few quads, most had prices on the quad, and the accessories, easy to go in and out of the stand without wasting the exhibitors time if I think its too much. The ones with prices wouldn't come to talk when you were looking, then ones like atv parts where i didnt see prices were out like a shot, he knew his numbers.

Dunedin

talked to 4 lads about slurry tankers. Only two could give me a price. I really find it hard to understand how a rep wouldn’t know prices straight off.

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123832045#Comment_123832045

A lot of the time the reps are just there, helping out for the day/week. May work in the garage, rather than in a sales capacity.

road_high

the last few ones I was at I thought the food had deteriorated massively- there was a period there when it was very good as regards more “foody, artisan” type offering with lots of delicious Angus type speciality burgers and nice sausages etc. Last year I saw none of that and it seemed to be generic crap fast food vans which I’ve moved on from 20 years ago - what happened or am I imagining that?

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123832045#Comment_123832045

probably just don’t have the authority to give pricing and the real negotiating is done one to one in the office and/or directly on the phone

Glebee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123832072#Comment_123832072

There seemed like there was a few nice burger places but most were the generic type burger van, I got 3 cheese burgers and 3 chips and it was €56, burgers were standard, big bags of chips though, good job I had free entrance tickets.

connormi

Well wear. I thought it was well thought out too with removable side bars to get calf to drink etc or if animal went down. There back sliding gate is the easiest or fastest to close. Have a sliding back gate of different brand and takes a good pull when trying get animal forwards at same time.

You go with scales too

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123832079#Comment_123832079

ah stop, it’s the same when you call in to them. Tell you they’ll be back with a price to you and mostly you never hear from them.

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123832345#Comment_123832345

No I have a scales already so there was no real need.

G-Man

" …………….without all the government quangos there’d be very little there. Shows how out of control state spending is"

You can hum it, but thats the case with a lot of outreach stuff nowadays, look at RTE and the amount of useless dont fall over your bike adds from commision on better parking etc.

G-Man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826574#Comment_123826574

I think we are seeing it online more….. But the big events should be perhaps awarding medals etc for best innovation on the day or something like that.. Even if things are more online, then its more reason for these big events to present a unuque moment for those creators to post online and make the event more attractive for next year..

I got a look at the sheep sharing and thought it was well done, it and a bit of angus touchy feely to guess their weight was the only great thing I saw…

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123833326#Comment_123833326

without state funded bodies and organisations the Ploughing would be a fraction of the size- they also have huge elaborate marquees with very little in them (after all they don’t have to sell or produce anything to survive). Clearly there’s a huge political influence and understanding to this event. As a taxpayer it certainly does raise my attention

Jb1989

Is it not the only place to get face to face with a dept of agri official?

I read people on here advising to go to the marquee with any questions, I assumed it was near better than phoneing them.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838380#Comment_123838380

probably but that should absolutely not be the case- people should be able to make face to face appointments with these people as needed

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838726#Comment_123838726

The problem is when the office and staff dealing with for your county regional office are located in another county at the opposite end of the country and I'm not talking about dublin

BuildKB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838319#Comment_123838319

thwmm no other view is that without those bodies maybe it would still be as good a show as it was 20 years ago. Obviously they are handing over more money than anyone else and as a result they are losing focus on real farming stands. I hate the sight of all those political parties and tents for govt departments.

roosterman71

Ploughing back to Tullamore next year

Ploughing 2026 to return to Screggan, Co. Offaly https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/ploughing-2026-to-return-to-screggan-co-offaly/