FCN volunteer Alex Cotterill has written this article about the importance of vintage farm shows and how they create safe, welcoming spaces for the community.
I recently wrote a piece for The Farming Community Network (FCN) that explored the importance of agricultural and livestock markets in supporting farmers’ mental wellbeing. Today, however, I am writing specifically for FCN on why vintage tractors and machinery continue to hold such a valued place within modern farming life and agricultural events.
Currently based in Nottinghamshire, I am fortunate to be surrounded by a thriving calendar of shows that place heritage machinery firmly in the spotlight. Events such as the Newark Vintage Tractor & heritage Shows, Nottinghamshire County Shows and both the British and European Ploughing Championships regularly celebrate vintage equipment in all its forms. Across all of these gatherings, there is one shared theme that runs deeper than the tractors themselves – what my Grandad fondly refers to as “camaraderie”.
Large national exhibitions such as LAMMA, Agritechnica, DairyTech and Cereals rightly focus on the very latest innovations from today’s lead manufacturers – John Deere, Krone, JCB, Fendt, CNH and Claas among them. In contrast, heritage and county shows offer something quite different: a powerful sense of community, nostalgia and genuine enjoyment. For both working and retired farmers, these events provide an opportunity to revisit the machines of their youth and to share stories with like-minded people who remember when these tractors were not show pieces, but everyday working assets.
My Grandad, Tony Rayner, grew up on his father’s mixed dairy and arable farm in East Markham (Newark), where the yard was once home to Field Marshalls, Grey Fergies, Fordrson Dextas fitted with loaders, rear-discharge manure spreaders, silage rollers and grass harrows to name a few. When I attend shows on behalf of FCN or for my agricultural journalism, my grandparents always accompany me, taking great pleasure in seeing restored examples of the machines my Grandad once worked with. I recall one memorable conversation with a former David Brown operator, who was keen to remind us just how unforgiving some of those seats could be!
A friend of mine who runs a successful agricultural and plant contracting business (M Widdowson & Son) in the Vale of Belvoir demonstrates how heritage machinery can still have a practical role today. Despite operating a fleet of New Holland, JCB and Bailey equipment, he continues to maintain a collection of vintage tractors and machines – including a Fordson Super Major, Fordson Dexta and several Ford 5000s – along with a couple of Barth Holland K150 trenching machines. Remarkably, this older equipment still proves invaluable for drainage and trenching work, and he and his late father, Mick, have long supported local shows and charity runs with their Fordsons.
Whether attended for friendship and laughter, professional interest or simply as a journey back through time, heritage tractor and machinery shows remain vitally important. They connect past and present, preserve working history, and – perhaps most importantly – strengthen the sense of belonging that lies at the heart of today’s ever growing agricultural community.
Beyond the machinery, these shows create safe, welcoming spaces where conversations flow easily and support is often found without being explicitly sought. In an industry that can feel increasingly pressurised and solitary, the positivity generated by these gatherings is both powerful and quietly reassuring.
