Which one is correct?

[Irshad Alam]

Which one is correct?
1. The farmer is ploughing in the field.
2. The farmer is ploughing the field.

[Anglika]

Both

#1 answers the question "Where is the farmer?"
#2 answers the question "What is the farmer doing?"

[2006]

Which one is correct?
1. The farmer is ploughing in the field.
2. The farmer is ploughing the field.

The first one doesn't sound natural to me. (having grown up on a farm)
And I would say that the answer to 'Where is the farmer?' is '(The farmer is) in the field.'

[Tdol]

How about The farmer is ploughing in the xxx field as an answer to the same question?

[2006]

How about The farmer is ploughing in the xxx field as an answer to the same question?

I'm not sure which question you mean.

Where is the farmer?
He's in the wheat field.

What is the farmer doing?
1...He's checking the wheat field to see how many weeds there are.
2...He's ploughing the wheat field.

I just wouldn't say "ploughing in the field". It almost makes me want to ask 'What is he ploughing in the field?'
Actually, he is ploughing the field itself.
At least that is a Canadian farmer's perspective.

[Huda-M]

I think that the second sentence The farmer is ploughing the field is a better choice; I have always heard it like that.