If anything, Americans have no shortage of imagination and panache in inventing events for entertainment. "Iowa Rodeo" is a special spectacle, because instead of bulls and cowboys, combine harvesters compete in the arena. Most of the machines wrecked in their clashes go straight to the scrapyard.
The event is held in Waverly, where a large rodeo used to take place. For several years now, it has been replaced by a new competition for farmers, modeled on scrapyard car races, in which participants demolish each other's vehicles. Instead of cars, however, the competitors are old combines that were already destined for scrap.
The participants in these competitions are true enthusiasts. They search for broken-down machines in scrap yards, which they repair during the winter months, in order to compete after the harvest. Harvester drivers ram each other, push each other and try to overturn each other. The winner is the one who lasts the longest and can drive over.
It must be admitted that the duels look very spectacular and arouse great emotions. These are real clashes of titans. The videos circulating on social media documenting the "Iowa Rodeo" are breaking popularity records and attracting interest all over the world. Farmers in other countries, however, do not always react enthusiastically to the American show.
In Poland, Bizons, several decades old, are still harvesting in the fields, and their owners take care of them like the most expensive limousines. The average farmer can't afford a new machine, and buying a used one is a considerable expense. So there would probably be many farmers in other, poorer countries who would be willing to buy the combines that American farmers demolish for fun.
