The Annual Ploughing Match will take place at Rocklyn. More than 16 ploughers from Gippsland, Colac, northeastern Victoria and Tasmania will compete alongside locals in the Ballarat Ploughing Association-run event. 

Many young ploughmen will be competing for the first time at this year’s event. 

Ballarat Ploughing Association’s Ian Smith said everyone was welcome to watch the competition. 

“It’s like the formula one of ploughing,” he said. 

Organisers and competitors are hoping the weather will help ploughing conditions. 

Mr Smith said it was a good time for ploughing. 

“It should be perfect if we get some dry days this week,” he said. 

“For a properly ploughed paddock you want to invert the soil and put the grass underneath. You want no weeds poking out so the seeds being planted have no competition.

“You want the field to look like weatherboards on a house by putting nice, straight, even lines in the soil.” 

The National Ploughing Championship was held earlier this year in Cowra, New South Wales.

Competitors must compete in state championships to qualify for the national title.

Australian championship winners compete in the World Ploughing Championship. 

The competition at Mollongghip-Blampied Road, Rocklyn, starts at 11am on Friday and Saturday.

The ploughing competition runs over two days.