More than 30 John Deere tractors and ploughs took to the field near Inverness on to raise funds for two well-known children’s charities.
The event, appropriately named Field of Deere, was organised by local farmer and businessman Willie Lean, in memory of his nephew Brodie Walker, who passed away in October 2018.
More than £6,000 has been raised from the event and it will be equally divided between the two chosen charities – MFR Cash For Kids and CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland).
A total of 32 ploughman from throughout the length and breadth of Scotland flocked to Mr Lean’s 100-acre stubble block of land, with one participant named Danny Key, making a 600-mile round trip from his home in Lockerbie to take part in the event.
The highlight of the day was a speed ploughing challenge which saw 20 tractors and ploughs cover a 20-acre field in an impressive 21 minutes and 30 seconds, before moving onto a 40-acre block which was ploughed by all 32 participates in 45 minutes.
More than 400 spectators from as far east as Peterhead and as far north as Caithness, gathered to watch the green and yellow spectacle, which included a range of John Deere tractors and ploughs.
The team varied from a 955 compact tractor with a single furrow plough right up to a John Deere 8RX 370 tracked machine supplied by local dealership firm Netherton Tractors.
Mr Lean said he was blown away with the support from the local farming community and those further afield, as well as local businesses which made donations.
“It was a truly fantastic day from start to finish and I am so humbled by everybody’s generosity,” he said.
“Initially, it was going to be a low-key event, but it grew arms and legs, and we actually had more than 40 participates registered. Unfortunately, not everyone made it due to Covid-19 and transport issues.
“Plans are already in place to make it an even bigger and better event next year.”
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