A plowing tradition: A Q&A with Hailey Gruber, a tractor plowing competitor

 You never know what you might learn when you attend a notorious event like the Annual Steam Threshing Jamboree held each August at Madison, South Dakota. It’s the sort of gathering where the phrase, “Let’s get plowed!” is taken literally.

With the funny play on-words slogan, what I discovered at this year’s Jamboree is that most of the participants enjoy watching the South Dakota State Open Plowing Contest, which is where elderly tractors are slowly pulling antique plows back and forth, flipping over the golden stubble to reveal rich, black soil.

This kind of scene is my comfort zone. I grew up driving tractors of this vintage, pulling plows that were so old that the manufacturer had equipped them with steel wheels.

The contestants were taking things quite seriously, stopping frequently to make adjustments or to simply eyeball the situation. Tape measures were spooled out and impromptu midfield conferences were held.

I had never witnessed a plowing contest. The only plowing-related competition we had when I was a kid was with the weather. I wanted to yell at the contestants, “Just get the plowing done already! They say it might rain in a couple of days!”

While lollygagging on the headland, I struck up a conversation with Kevin Albrecht, a contest judge from Marion, South Dakota. I asked Albrecht some plowing competition questions, and he said that I should speak with Hailey Gruber, whom he reckoned was the best person to answer my queries.

Gruber is a bubbly young lady who hails from Richmond, Minnesota. She is a junior at South Dakota State University where she is majoring in mechanical engineering. She is also a veteran international plowing competitor.

Jerry Nelson: How did you get involved in competitive plowing?

Hailey Gruber: My dad, Gene, grew up on a dairy farm at Spring Hill, Minnesota. His father, Werner, was a champion plowman and made sure that his sons learned the art of competition plowing. I began to ride with Dad on his tractor when I was a little girl and soon began to ask him when I could have my own tractor. Dad gave me my first tractor when I was seven and I participated in my first plowing contest when I was ten. Dad was so happy that one of his two daughters was following in his footsteps. Or, in this case, his furrow.

JN: I see that all of these plows have only two bottoms. Why is that?

HG: It’s easier to control two bottoms versus three. A two-bottom plow is shorter, so that makes it easier to create crisp, tidy ends.

JN: What has been your biggest plowing achievement?

HG: I won the U.S. Plowing Championship in 2017, which qualified me for the 2018 World Ploughing Contest in Hofgut Einsiedel Germany. I placed sixth in a field of 25 competitors from around the world. I was 16 years old at the time and the only female in the competition. Last September, I placed sixth in a field of 26 in the 2022 World Ploughing Contest held at Ratheniska, County Laios, Ireland.

JN: Do you have a favorite plow?

HG: Nearly all competitors at the world level use plows made by Kverneland, a Norwegian company. Their plows can be adjusted in multiple ways, which is essential when you have to adapt to changing soil conditions. I’ll get off the tractor about 100 times during a competition to adjust the plow or the hitch.

JN: What are the logistics of attending an overseas plowing contest?

HG: We put our tractors and our disassembled plows into a shipping container and ship them over to the contest site. I like to get to the site a week or more before the contest so that I can practice. There’s a lot of camaraderie among the plowing competitors. They’re like an extended family.

JN: What do you look for when you judge a moldboard plowing contest?

HG: The first thing we look for is straight furrows. We will also deduct points based on the amount of trash left on the surface. The furrows must be uniform; you shouldn’t be able to tell one pass from another. It’s crucial to leave a straight and shallow dead furrow in the middle of your plot when you’re done.

In summary, Gruber's wisdom is pay attention to the details, drive straight and true, don’t leave any trash behind, and do your best to maintain an even keel. Sounds like a recipe for a successful plowing contest and for a well-lived life.