Many old memories will be revived by an enlarged vintage area which will for the first time, include its own display ring.
Machinery featured at the show which is to be held on 20 and 21 September at Newbury Showground, will include a 1930s threshing machine separating corn for milling and a selection of tractors from 1940 to 1969 cutting, spreading, raking, and bailing hay and straw, a 1955 combine harvester.
There will also be “climb aboard” vintage tractors for children to have their photos taken, plus a chance to talk to members of the National Vintage Tractor & Engine Club for the Thames Valley.
Vintage display organiser Dan Wood is excited by the potential for a much more dramatic display of vintage machinery this year. “You can’t beat the thump of some of the old engines and the thrill of seeing machinery from a bygone era powered by steam,” he said. “I think show goers will love what we have in prospect this year.”
The GPS guided John Deere tractor comes to the show courtesy of Great Shefford based dealer Farols and represents the very latest in advances in agriculture. In a normal working day it feeds from mapped data from individual fields, taking over the steering and achieving accuracy of cultivation, seeding and fertilizer application to within two centimetres.
“It will give people a real insight into modern agriculture,” says Farols sales manager Mark Denton. “While the car industry is only just talking about satellite guided cars, farming is actively using it to provide greater accuracy and reduce operator fatigue.”
With final preparations for this year’s show now at a high pitch, organisers are reporting a late rush of livestock entries and expect to have 2,000 animals competing.
