Commercial trade stand space for the British National Ploughing Championships at Crockey Hill, near York on October 13th and 14th is being snapped up fast by local and national companies.

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Executive Director of the Society of Ploughmen, Ken Chappell said this week: "The support and enthusiasm from companies, especially in the Yorkshire area, is running high. Bookings are already well ahead of last year's event in Surrey and at this rate we will have to extend the large area already planned for the trade exhibits. Fortunately the superb site generously provided by Hobson Farming Ltd is flexible enough to allow this. We should be able to accommodate all those companies who want to come along and augment the ploughing spectacle with one of the biggest and best trade exhibitions for many years."

He added: "Clearly the decision to bring the national championships back to North Yorkshire was a good one and the enthusiasm and support we are getting already from local organisations and the agricultural trade is very encouraging. It will all add up to a ploughing spectacular so much bigger and more comprehensive than local ploughing matches, that will surprise people and provide a rural day out to remember."

Over 180 ploughmen, many of them local champions from all over the country and including previous world and national champions, will converge on Naburn Hill Farm contesting for the supreme honour - the British National title and the opportunity to represent their country in the 2008 World Ploughing Contest in Austria. More than 15,000 people are expected over the two days to watch them.

Visitors will see all types of ploughing from the commercial semi-digger and one-way reversible work, to the fancy high cut sculpted furrows of yesteryear, still preserved and practised by enthusiasts. Vintage tractors and ploughs also have their own classes, as do crawler tractors.

Always a crowd-puller are the horses. A dozen pairs of magnificent heavy horses in their decorated finery of ornate brass and leather will be competing on both days - a taste of days gone by and an irresistible opportunity for photographers.

In contrast, the top machinery firms will be demonstrating their latest powerful, multi-furrow ploughing units, which can turn over in minutes what it takes the horses a day to achieve.

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