Sporting Farmers Plow for Glory in Europe

Earlier this month, a high-stakes amateur athletics competition, complete with come-from-behind upset victories and confusing rules, captivated audiences. It wasn’t the Olympics, but it’s as close as most farmboys will get, the Wall Street Journal reports: The World Plowing Championships, held in Grafenegg, Austria, doled out gold to those able plow a plot of land as neatly and perfectly as possible.

Don’t kid yourself: plowing is a challenging task. "A good driver can save thousands of dollars on fuel and seed costs," an organizer says, so competitors work hard to perfect their craft. This year, an Irishman beat out the Austrian favorite; Americans, meanwhile, just don’t cut the mustard. “It's a European sport, all those small farms,” one says. (More agriculture stories.)