After three days at the National Ploughing Championships, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Correspondent Aengus Cox runs through five key takeaways from the event and the challenges facing farmers the length and breadth of the country.
1. The power of rural Ireland
Every year in September the National Ploughing Championships puts agriculture and rural life under the spotlight, and this time around it was no different.
Across the three days of the event in Screggan, Co Offaly 225,000 people passed through the gates, and they are an influential bunch.
Walking around the 800-acre site it was clear that most aspects of society were represented in some way, ensuring they were involved in the action.
Business, networking, lobbying; It's all happening at the ploughing.
The politicians know this too, with all the big parties represented.
The presidential hopefuls were also out in force, pressing the flesh and doing their utmost to get the agricultural crowd on side.
It's a unique opportunity to get a huge cohort of Irish society in the same place at the same time, and hopefully to get them to listen to your message.
Heather Humphreys, Jim Gavin, and Catherine Connolly were keen to show off their appeal to farmers and rural communities at any and every opportunity, and also made sure to acknowledge and praise their efforts along the way.
2. Big challenges simmering
Prize cattle breeds, sheep shearing, wellie throwing, brown-bread baking, line dancing, oh, and of course, ploughing.
There's no doubt the National Ploughing Championships this week have been an important celebration of agricultural and rural life.
But while there was so much positivity to the fore, talk of the challenges facing farming and rural Ireland was never far away.
Many of these issues have long been in the rear-view mirror but are quickly gaining ground of late.
Most notably the nitrates derogation, which owing to Ireland's unique grass-based farming methods allows around 6,000 dairy farmers to spread a higher level of manure than would ordinarily be permitted.
Previously, ensuring that water quality in rivers has been improving was enough to secure a renewal of the derogation, but the European Commission has warned Ireland that from next year farmers here will need to show evidence of protecting habitats in order to keep it.
That will likely be a complex process - to say the least - and the mood music on the topic isn't good.
A loss of the derogation would likely decimate the dairy sector and cause huge disruption to production and livelihoods.
The proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal is also a hot topic, amid fears of cheap South American beef flooding European markets.
Elsewhere, generational renewal - or farm succession - received plenty of attention.
The average farmer in Ireland is almost 60 years old, and given the huge uncertainty, the next generation are unsurprisingly turning away from the farm in huge numbers and looking at more stable career options.
There's no simple solution to this problem, although the Government is trying to find one.
It published a report on Tuesday outlining more than 30 recommendations to help reverse the trend.
Whatever might be done to try and get more younger people back working on the farm, it won't happen quickly - with the main worry being what damage might be done to the sector in the meantime.
3. Creativity is alive and well
With the many threats facing the future of farming, it was reassuring to see such a high level of passion at Screggan from those working in agriculture to highlight the positives.
The TikTok stand was the nerve centre of much of this activity, where younger farming influencers were showing off their viral videos on subjects like slurry and the stereotype of the moaning farmer (which of course isn't accurate).
This kind of activity is crucial in taking agriculture to the next level in terms of promoting farm and rural life to a newer, younger audience.
And this shift has also spread to more traditional parts of the ploughing.
The major farming groups - such as the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, and Macra - have all embraced social media.
Their reps and members covered all corners of Screggan, and were closely followed by someone filming with their phone, ready to upload the results online and spread the message.
4. Innovation is key
Millions of euro worth of the newest and best tech was on display.
It wasn't just fancy tractors either; with an increasing emphasis on finding tech solutions to every-day farm problems.
From AI-powered robot harvesters to smart livestock collars giving live feedback on animal health, it was all covered.
This sort of innovation is also likely to be a part of the solution to some of the challenges listed above.
Increased regulation, more competition, and volatile incomes are the new normal for many farmers, and finding ways (big or small) to get any sort of edge to make processes cheaper, quicker, or more efficient are extremely welcome.
And seemingly, there is no shortage of ideas in this space and there was a definite sense of a willingness to embrace technology, AI, and innovation to change how land is farmed to improve viability.
5. The importance of tradition
On Tuesday afternoon President Michael D Higgins officially opened the event.
Before he did so, the President paid a visit to the horse-plough plot where age-old traditional ploughing competitions were taking place.
He observed and spoke with those taking part.
It was clear President Higgins had a deep understanding and appreciation for what was happening.
Members of the media, including me, were there too to record an interview with him.
But many of us also got caught up in the competition.
You couldn't help but be impressed by the level of dedication, passion, and patience given to each part of the process by competitors.
They clearly spent a long time learning the methods, but it wasn't just the older generation - with a great mix of ages taking part.
Technology has largely made the need to plough with the help of a horse redundant, but those who continue do it for a reason.
Amid the volatility and uncertainty, there was still a devotion to the traditional ways of farming.
President Higgins praised the "resilience" of the ploughers, as well as those working in other areas of agriculture who are responsible for our food security.
It was especially remarkable, he noted, that they were as dedicated to their profession given the challenges they've faced in recent times - including surging inflation, rapid policy shifts, and key demographic changes.
His words suggested (to me anyway) that hanging on to agrarian traditions with such resolve could be the key to ensuring Irish farming can weather the current storms and emerge with renewed stability and grow again.
