On Wednesday, Aug. 2, farm teams from across Vermont will be competing in the third annual On-Farm Farm Olympics in the fields of Cerridwen Farms at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt. Yes, spectators are invited, too.

Teams will match up in a wide range of events challenging farmers’ field skills. The event is hosted by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont.

LOTS OF ‘HAM’ – ER – MUSCLE: This twosome must have won something with their farm-seasoned biceps.

“The On-Farm Olympics are a great opportunity for farmers and farmworkers to strut their stuff, and have a little competitive fun midseason,” says Enid Wonnacott, NOFA-VT’s executive director. “Farm work requires a diversity of skills, and they’ll be comically showcased at the event.”

Individual farm teams will show off their finely honed skills in events ranging from physical to cerebral to plain ridiculous. It’s a time to unwind and kick back before the fall workload begins. Spectators are also welcome to come and enjoy the games, as well as delicious wood-fired pizza cooked in the NOFA-VT mobile oven.

In the cool-of-the-day events
Competition events run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by pizza, the award ceremony and other celebrating deemed appropriate at the time.

FENCING WINNERS? We’re talking pasture fencing wire competition for grazing swards, not rapier-style swords.

Competitors will race in skill-testing events such as the blind seeding and box-building relay, single-strand fence setting, row cover race and the farmer relay. “We’ve been training for years and years,” noted Suzanne Long at last year’s games. “But we didn’t know what we were training for.”

CLEVEREST T-SHIRTS: If there was a funny T-shirt category, this “The Deadbeats Crossroad” trio would have been sure top-contenders.

Farmer-Olympians can register online at nofavt.org/onfarmworkshops until July 31. The rules dictate that teams must have four to five people to enter. Each team member must be a part of the farm crew or staff of an ag organization or business. Multiple farms may partner to create a joint team.

This event takes place at Cerridwen Farms, located at 1 Brennan Circle, Poultney, Vt. Teams should arrive at 4 p.m. to check in and warm up.

Check out a few images from last year’s Olympics.

Source: NOFT-Vermont