Mehrtens, from Timaru, has represented New Zealand at 14 World Ploughing Contests.
Although he didn’t take out the Rural Sportsman of the Year title, it was great to have ploughing “on the radar” at the awards, New Zealand Plough Association president Ian Woolley said.
He encouraged people to come along to the event this weekend to see the “skill, art and precision of the country’s top plough persons”.
Woolley said ploughing involved a high level of expertise and focus to avoid making mistakes.
“The total ploughing time to complete a plot is three hours, so there’s a huge amount of total concentration involved in completing the plot in time - otherwise, penalty points are applied.”
Organisers said the competition site was harvested last week when the team was busy marking plots and public areas.
The event is family-friendly and open to the public, with trade sites and food trucks available.
The New Zealand Ploughing Championship starts on Saturday, April 13, and finishes on Sunday, April 14, at 264 Crawford Rd, Horotiu.
The site opens both days at 7.30am, with a parade to plots at 10.15am, and the action kicking off at 11am.
Find out more at the NZ Ploughing Association website here.
