Tractor runs deserve our support

Well readers, here we are, halfway through 2026 already. They say time flies when you are having fun. That’s an interesting statement! There hasn’t been much fun in the farming and contracting sectors in the first six months; they have been punctuated by sit-ins, pickets, protests, blockades, interventions, meetings, no meetings... and on it goes.
Things seem to have calmed down for the moment and as I pen this article, silage mowers and wagons fly by the gate, sprayers are in the field, dealers’ counters are busy. Is it a calm before another storm? Or maybe it’s the realisation that there is no money to be made on a picket line. Tractors make money when they are in the field, not parked up in the yard - or on O'Connell Street! 
And speaking of tractors, June is the month we commence our search for the Tractor of the Year. The preliminary rounds start with manufacturers presenting their tractors, over three days, to a panel of 25 jury members from around Europe. I am the sole Irish jury member and I am really looking forward to joining fellow machinery editors on the panel this year! Stay tuned for updates over the summer. Another important function of tractors is their place within rural communities’ tractor runs. Far from these being a catwalk of sorts for local machinery enthusiasts, these events are crucial fundraisers for crucial services and charities. I am looking forward to our own Fisherstown Tractor Run taking place in Co. Laois on July 5, where I will, once again, be the resident auctioneer. The gavel won’t know what hit it, my friends! While many runs are going strong, I hear anecdotally that some are not, while others are postponed – environmental considerations and the price of fuel are just some of the things that are taking a toll. I recently chatted to Fisherstown Tractor Run’s Willie Walsh about this. When they started out, tractor numbers were in single digits; now, however, north of 300 tractors and trucks take part! What are the interest levels like this year, I ask. He says they may be down 10 per cent, or so, on tractor and truck numbers but it’s an important fundraising event as it all goes to cancer charities in the area. Tractor runs are so much more than a fun day out for all the family. I have heard suggestions in various camps for runs to adapt and become a tractor display instead – the tractors come out on the day as usual but they park up somewhere. For the Fisherstown organisers, however, it is a full run or nothing.
My good friend, Jim O’Mahony is a well-known machinery rep in Cork, and is chair of the long-running Kilbrittain Tractor Run which raises money for autism support services. This is the single biggest tractor-only run in Ireland, I believe;

more than 500 tractors (no trucks or cars) travel to Cork from all over the country in the middle of winter to support. Jim was not behind the door when it came to the importance of these runs. They provide badly needed funds for projects – some of which are awaiting Government backing and approvals, and we know what that means.
These events are also part of the wider fabric of the rural community. They provide a place for people to meet and socialise. There are young men and women that don’t lift a hurl or kick a ball but they do lift a bonnet, they build an engine, restore a gearbox, and refurbish their tractors with pride. The tractor run is their version of a county final, and they deserve their day, too. It would be a sad day should these events ever stop – for whatever reason. We must strive to hold onto our traditions and pastimes and ways of life but we must adapt, too; that is the secret to our success. Until next month, farm safely, 
farm wisely.