‘Skilled tractor drivers’ on the rice fields

The Farmers' Union of Phong Nha town (Bo Trach district, Quang Binh) has recently organized a contest named “The best tractor driver”, making everyone excited. Many people come to see for themselves whether tractor drivers can show good plow handling.

According to Tran Van Tu, Chairman of the Farmers' Union of Phong Nha town, the contest originated from the idea of farmers ​​wanting to acquire good skills in using tractors in the field. “From this contest, we will discover skills and techniques in using agricultural machines and write the best ‘handbooks’ to share with farmers. Thereby, promoting the mechanization movement, bringing technology into agricultural production,” he said.

The organizing committee of the contest has also completed its preparation quite thoroughly. The tractors are "ranked" according to their capacity. The group of tractors with a capacity from 2,000 to 3,500 horsepower is placed in one separate board with a required plowing area of ​​500 m² of rice fields. The group of tractors with a capacity from 4,000 to 5,000 horsepower is placed on another board, and the required plowing area is increased to ​​600 m².

At the contest, farmers enthusiastically show off their driving skills, plowing beautiful furrows within the specified time. The experiences accumulated in the agricultural production process, the skills of driving machines, raising and lowering the plowing frame are fully demonstrated by the “plowmen”.

In the rice field, 11 tractors of the “plowmen” stay steady. The drums beat loudly and the tractors started growling with their metallic voice. With the drums flaming the rhythm of excitement, 11 tractors move forward amidst the cheers and encouragement of the people in the area. Behind each puff of gray-white smoke are fresh furrows of brown soil.

The fans whose relatives are participating in the contest divide into groups and stand at the edge of the field, waving and shouting. The whole field is bustling with the sound of machines, cheers, and drums.

In less than six minutes, the leading tractors have crossed the finish line. The next tractors also raise their flags. The time to rank is also different by the second, making it quite difficult for the organizing committee to make precise judgments.

At the end of the plowing time, the field team will inspect each furrow. As for the criteria, the furrows should turn out beautiful, deep and even. At the corners of the field, the plowing lines should stick deeper. If all of these requirements are met, the organizing committee will give a perfect score and the “driver” will win.

Hearing the announcement from the Organizing Committee that he won first prize in the contest, Tran Van Bang (Cu Lac 1 village, Phong Nha town) is overjoyed. “To get good results, farmers need to be healthy, have a lot of experience in driving and maintaining machinery, and be enthusiastic about participating in local agricultural production.

“We invest in tractors for both production and agricultural services. Therefore, we must have a good understanding of the uses of agricultural machines. We are also determined to serve the people enthusiastically as if we were doing housework. That is our way of being highly regarded by the people when it comes to production service work,” Bang said.

Phong Nha town has nearly 500 ha of cultivated land, of which over 450 ha are used for two-crop rice cultivation. In recent years, farmers have brought machines into the fields for land preparation and harvesting services, thereby reducing labor costs and increasing production efficiency. Many "drivers" have even made appointments to hone their skills in order to compete in next year's contest.

According to Hoang Tien Sy, Chairman of the Farmers' Union of Quang Binh province, the first contest on fast and beautiful plowing organized by the Farmers' Union of Phong Nha town is meaningful in preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values ​​of farmers. "The contest also promotes the strong development of mechanization in agricultural production, creating solidarity and cooperation among machine owners to support farmers in the production process," Hoang Tien Sy said.