Welcome
Just what is the real appeal of mass tractor events such as the Australians’ successful attempt at the world working tractor record at Cootamundra on Easter Sunday and the National Vintage Tractor Road Run in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on Saturday April 10?

You Beauties You Did It!
Imagine the huge cloud of red dust and the roar of almost 2,000 tractors as the Australians’ nail-biting attempt on the world working tractor record finally got under way after a delayed start that followed a desperate appeal for more tractors. Roger Hamlin brings all the drama in our special extended report.

Prairie Gold in Nottinghamshire
Pete Kelly visits Minneapolis-Moline enthusiast John Hayward to photograph his beautifully-restored Minneapolis-Moline UTS.

News
Including reports of the Sandbach Festival tractor parade, the eagerly-anticipated Newark Tractor & Agricultural Heritage Spectacular and the Carrington Rally Tractor Road Run.

An Island Apart
Polly Pullar leaves her heart on the magical Scottish island of North Ronaldsay, with its teeming wildlife and unique seaweed-eating sheep.

Vintage Haytime!
On a glorious Pennine day, David Bowers visits Bill Brennand to see how the haymaking was done four decades ago.

Big Ride - the Final Appeal
By the time the next issue of Tractor & Farming Heritage comes out, our Editor’s 1,100-mile cycle ride in aid of the Help the Hospices charity will be almost over! We tell how things are going and how you can help.

‘Aladdin’s Cave’ in Herefordshire
On Sunday June 6, with the help of members of the Border Counties Vintage Club, Derek Williams of Great Doward, near Symonds Yat - who owns 50 vintage and classic tractors plus a fascinating collection of countryside memorabilia will kindly put on an open day to boost our Help the Hospices Appeal. Pete Kelly goes along to say thank you, and see what visitors can expect.

Readers’ Letters
Allis-Chalmers Gleaner combines; The Thing from the Okefenokee Swamp; Memories of a Threshing Man and, of course, Pete Wilford’s new Wurzel and Gripper cartoon strip.

Pleaching, Heathering and Hedgebote Rights!
Jo Roberts meets hedge-layer, willow-grower and hurdle-maker Mike Stubbs at his crog-loft home near Caernarfon, North Wales.

Reviews
Including The Art of the Traditional Craftsmen by Tom Quinn and Paul Felix, and Polly Pullar’s superb new colour photography book Further Afield.

Rare Breeds Factfile
Marianne Thomas tells the history of the ‘at risk’-registered Bagot goat.

Which One’s the Daddy?
There was a double treat in store when Jerry Thurston visited vintage tractor enthusiast Derek Williams for he brought out two rarities in the shape of a Minneapolis 17-30 Cross-Motor and a Samson Model M.

Wild and White
Agnes Leith tells the story of the Wild White Cattle which were the sacrificial beasts of the Druids and Romans, and lived for many centuries in the ancient Caledonian Forest.

Tractor Talk
The Cheffins auction that brought a 20% increase in vintage and classic tractor prices; and preparing a Massey-Ferguson 35 for a trans-Wales trek.

Bordering on Perfection
Keith Langston receives the warmest of welcomes as he meets past and present Chairmen of the East Wales & Borders Vintage Enthusiasts, one on each side of the Anglo-Welsh border, and looks at some of the tractors in their care.

The David Brown that Never Was
Leslie Hutchinson tells the story of the supercharged David Brown VAK3 tractor design of 1947 and the secrets contained in a document which was plucked to safety as the decommissioning of the famous Meltham Mills, Huddersfield, plant got under way.

Cheshire Tractor Sale
Among the tractors from John Bownes’ comprehensive collection to come under the hammer on May 22 is a 1917 International Titan, reports Keith Langston.

Father’s Day Subscription Offer
Why a subscription to Tractor & Farming Heritage makes the perfect Father’s Day gift.

What’s the Scots for Perfect?
The hand-made craftsmanship that has made the Border Fine Arts Classic Collection one to treasure.

Diary Dates

£1,000 Tractor Competition
Answer our four easy questions - and you might win £1,000 towards the tractor of your choice.

End of an Era at Westside Farm
Pete Kelly visits John Moffitt in the midst of the transfer of his entire collection of Ferguson tractors, implements and memorabilia, built up over 30 years, to new owner Paul Rackham’s Bridgham Museum in Norfolk.

7Happy Days are Here Again!
It’s the usual mixture of jovial banter and good cheer as Pete Kelly follows the 2004 National Vintage Tractor Road Run along the delightful byways and spectacular coastline of County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Roading it from Fife to Inverness!
Peter Small tells the story of Arthur Suttie’s marathon overnight trip to the first Highland Show after the Second World War aboard a cabless Fordson N with two trailers in tow - one carrying five sheep and the other loaded with supplies.

Victorian Breakthrough Preserved in Devon
John Hobbs visits the innovative 19th Century Kilworthy Farm complex in Devon which has been saved for posterity thanks to a £345,000 grant from English Heritage.

Springtime in Snowdonia
Spring has sprung, and new life is strring everywhere. Jo Roberts brings a flavour of this wonderful time of year from her smallholding in the hills above Llanrwst, North Wales.

Welcome
Just what is the real appeal of mass tractor events such as the Australians’ successful attempt at the world working tractor record at Cootamundra on Easter Sunday and the National Vintage Tractor Road Run in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on Saturday April 10?

You Beauties You Did It!
Imagine the huge cloud....