If you’re a keen workshop tinkerer then why not enter Farmers Weekly‘s Farm Inventions Competition and be in with the chance of winning a cash prize.

Our annual competition relies on farmers and contractors coming forward with their novel home-built machinery. So if you’ve considered entering, but haven’t got round to approaching us, please get in touch.

And if you think your invention is too simple, complicated or anything in between, think again – we want machines of all shapes and sizes.

See also: Contractors build blackgrass-beating 24m weed wiper

We’re looking for anything that makes life easier on the farm, whether it’s completely new from top to bottom, or an existing implement that has been adapted to make it more useful.

As ever, there’s plenty of loot on offer for the winners and runners-up in each of the three categories, so it doesn’t have to be a super-duper mix of engines, pumps, pulleys and sprockets to take first place.

The competition is open to farmers, contractors, farm managers and workers, with the winners featuring in Farmers Weekly and online.

Categories

The entries are split into three categories: simple, intermediate and complex.

Simple Items that took a day or so to knock together and are fairly basic in the way they work, but still save time or money.

Intermediate Anything more complicated, perhaps with a simple form of hydraulic or electrical system.

Complex Inventions that have taken weeks, months or even years to design and build. They usually involve an engine or fairly elaborate combination of electrics and hydraulics.

What are the prizes?

The winner of each of the three categories gets £500, runners-up will bag £250, and the third-placers get £100.

How do I enter?

Just email brief details of what the machine is, how it works and how it benefits the farm or contracting business to oliver.mark@markallengroup.com.

You will also need to attach a couple of decent-quality pictures and a contact phone number so we can get in touch.

The closing date is 26 January 2024.