1.Get creative – but not at the expense of practicality
Challenges can be simple and do not require large machinery or animals if these are not available. Remember to include education, new technology, safety and entertainment. The best challenges are those that can be easily and quickly set up and packed away.
2. Work with what you’ve got
It’s likely your local region is home to every piece of material, equipment, and livestock that you could ever need, so take advantage of that and borrow or donate where you can.
3. Tailor it to your local farming area
If you’re in the heart of sheep country, there’s little point in tracking down a dairy cow just to include in your challenge. Play to your strengths, and to your competitors interests, skills and passions.
4. It’s called a challenge for a reason
Ensure the challenges are, ahem, challenging. If you want real farmers to compete there must be substance to the competition. This will ensure that the competition grows with integrity to become a well-respected and established event. Challenges are encouraged to test both physical skill and theoretical knowledge of agricultural and farming practices.
5. Short and sweet is the brief
Remember your audience – after all, they’re the ones who will support your event year after year. Steer clear of small challenges that are hard to see, they’re less engaging and you will lose interest quickly. Importantly, watch the timing of your event; 15-30 minutes is the sweet spot. You don’t want to exhaust the farmers, or the audience.