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We are thrilled to introduce our 2026-2027 Queen of the Furrow Kristen Rombouts, from the competition that happened on Saturday at the Lambton County Branch Plowing Match. (L-R) 2025-2026 Queen of the Furrow Taner Degurse, fellow 2026-2037 contestant Rayah Bresette, and 2026-2027 Queen of the Furrow Kristen Rombouts. More Pictures:

Tractor plowing through field. (Photo courtesy www.plowingmatch.org) From antique machinery to friendly competition, a staple of local farming culture returns to Petrolia this weekend. The Lambton County Plowmen's Association will host the annual Lambton County Plowing Match at the farm of Ken and Pam Dobbin at 3424 Black Ash Road on Saturday, September 5. President Albert Tuinstra said awards will be handed out in several categories, including Best Plowed Land by a Lambton Resident in Lambton County and Best Plowed Land by a Lambton Resident Under 30. "It's based on the quality of plowing, how level, how straight and timing too a bit, but not so much as accuracy," said Tuinstra. "Anywhere from beginners to professional plowers, but we also have politicians, mayors and the warden himself will be plowing and competing." Winners will qualify to participate in the 2026 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, which will be held from Tuesday, September 22 to Saturday, September 26, in Walkerton. Tuinstra said there will be food vendors on site, and wagon-rides for the kids. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with plowing scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Admission is free. ~Stephanie Chaves~ Blackburn News

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Municipal Class competition that happened on Saturday at the Lambton County Branch Plowing Match. 1st place: Kevin Marriott (1st round) 2nd place: Jeff Agar (4th round) 3rd place: Steve Arnold (2nd round) 4th place: Gary Atkinson (3rd round) 5th place: Don McCabe (5th round) From L to R: Jeff Agar - Mayor St Clair Township and Deputy Warden Lambton County, Steve Arnold - Incoming Deputy Mayor St Clair Township, Gary Atkinson - Mayor Plympton-Wyoming, Kevin Marriott - Mayor Enniskillen Township and Warden Lambton County. Not pictured: Don McCabe: Councillor Brooke-Alvinston More Pictures:

Dean Dochstader, with the mule team of Babs and Bunnie, completes Saturday at the Lambton Plowing Match. Paul Morden/The Observer It wasn’t too wet to plow Saturday, but it was close. The Lambton County Plowing Match was nearly cancelled Friday evening following a wet week, but the Lambton Plowmen’s Association and host farmers, Ken and Pam Dobbin, decided in the end to go ahead. The field on Black Ash Road in Enniskillen Township was soggy in a few spots, but the sky was clear, the sun was shining and more than 40 competitors, plus dozens of spectators, made the trip to the more than century-old annual competition. “It’s very pleasing to see so many show up,” said Albert Tuinstra, president of the Lambton Plowmen’s Association. “It’s drying up even now,” he said after the competition in nine classes began at 10 a.m. Albert Tuinstra, president of the Lambton Plowmen’s Association, with his vintage tractor at Saturday’s Lambton County Plowing Match. Paul Morden/The Observer County matches, like Lambton’s, are where those who take part in competitive plowing can earn points to qualify for the International Plowing Match, set this year for Walkerton later this month and then in Lambton County in 2027. There were vintage and modern tractors and plows at work in the field, as well as a team of horses and a team of mules. Dean Dochstader, from St. Clair Township, was plowing with a team of 18-year-old mules, Babs and Bunnie. “I’ve been plowing just two years with them, but we do a lot of wagon rides,” Dochstader said. Raising mules is a hobby, he said. He said the team spends time each spring doing farm work with “some good Amish friends . . . just to get the winter fat off them.” Dochstader said Babs and Bunnie are good natured. “Stubborn mules is more of a myth than anything,” he said. “They’re smart.” John Dekoon, right, from Dublin, Ont., talks with his grandson Keith Dekoon, 12, Saturday while competing with a team of horses at the Lambton County Plowing Match. Paul Morden/The Observer Tuinstra said competitive plowing is “a dying art really.” “There’s not a lot of plowing done any more,” he said about today’s approach to farming and tilling the ground. Tuinstra said the association is eager to get young people involved in competitive plowing to keep the art alive. Kayla Campbell, 15, a student at North Lambton secondary school in Forest, was entered Saturday in an under 18 class. “It was a last-minute signup,” she said. “The boys were doing it and I was, ‘might as well. What’s the harm." Kayla Campbell, 15, of Warwick Township, competes Saturday at the Lambton County Plowing Match. Paul Morden/The Observer Kayla said her family farm in Warwick Township and Saturday was her first time attending the plowing match. Plowing was expected to wrap up in the afternoon and awards were to be announced in the evening at a dinner being hosted at the farm of Lambton Warden Kevin Marriott, Tuinstra said. That’s also when this year’s Lambton Queen of the Furrow was to be named. The winner of the crown takes over for Taner DeGurse who was on hand for Saturday’s match. Taner DeGurse, Lambton County Queen of the Furrow, attended Saturday’s Lambton County Plowing Match in Enniskillen Township. Paul Morden/The Observer As part of her duties, DeGurse will represent Lambton during the Ontario Queen of the Furrow competition at this month’s International Plowing Match. An early childhood education student at Lambton College, DeGurse is an active 4H member showing cows and sheep in competitions. She lives on the family farm near Brigden. “The first year I plowed was actually last year at the plowing match,” she said. DeGurse was just completing a term as ambassador of the Brigden Fair when her mom encouraged her to enter the Lambton Queen of the Furrow contest last year. After she won the title at the 2025 Lambton plowing match, DeGurse represented the plowmen’s association at local fairs, including the Plympton-Wyoming Fair where she was asked to judge the 4H sheep show. “That was fun,” she said. ~Paul Morden~ Sarnia Observer More Photos:

Update as of 5:30pm Friday night: We will still be plowing on Saturday. There will be no parking on site. Plowmen: please park on Black Ash Road north or south of Shiloh Line. If parking north of Shiloh please park on the East side of the road; if parking south of Shiloh Line please park on the West side. Unfortunately we will have limited general parking available on roadsides due to field conditions. Please watch for traffic when accessing the site.

A competitor cuts a fresh set of furrows during a previous Lambton County Plowing Match. Photo courtesy of the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association. A Lambton County farming tradition dating back more than a century returns Saturday as plowmen compete on an Enniskillen Township farm. The 2026 Lambton County Plowing Match will be held Sept. 5 at the farm of Ken and Pam Dobbin, 3424 Black Ash Road. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with plowing starting at 10 a.m. A plowing match challenges competitors to each work a designated section of a field. Judges award points based on the straightness, neatness and consistency of the resulting furrows. Contest rules require furrows to be at least six inches deep. Competitors may receive assistance from a coach during their first round, but the coach must then remain at either end of the field. Plowmen from outside Lambton County may enter open classes, but are not eligible for special prizes. Junior competitors will receive their prize cheques at the association’s banquet, while other prizes will be mailed following the match. The Lambton County Plowmen’s Association has organized matches across the county since 1920. The host community rotates among Lambton’s townships, allowing the event to showcase different farms and agricultural areas. Lambton County has also hosted the larger International Plowing Match three times—in 1923, 1973 and 1991. The association says its mission is to preserve and support the art of plowing while encouraging interest in local agriculture. Full competition information is available at lambtonplowmens.ca. ~Journal Staff~ The Sarnia-Lambton Journal

Congratulations and thanks to Autumn Bresette for representing the Lambton County Plowmen's Association during the Queen of the Furrow Competition at the International Plowing Match this past week. A special thank you to Patrick Sanders for coaching her for the plowing portion of the competition. Autumn placed 5th in the that portion of the competition. We send our congratulations to the new Ontario Queen of the Furrow Taylor Legge from Bruce County. For more information on the Queen of the Furrow competition at the 2024 International Plowing Match visit https://www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2024/queen-of-the-furrow/

We look forward to seeing you on September 2nd for our 101st plowing match. Schedule for Match Day 8 - 9:30am - Registration for plowing classes 10am - 2pm Competition for all classes - horses, antiques, conventional 2 - 3pm - Municipal class ( please register at the registration tent) and the queen of the furrow will be plowing (time to be determined) Plowmen, please be in the field and ready to start by 10am. Petrolia Lions food trailer will be on site for food purchases. Events will wrap up at the actual match site by mid-afternoon on Saturday Dinner (pre-sold tickets only) and awards to follow.

Thank You for making our 2023 Lambton County plowing match a HUGE success. First, to our host farmer Forbesvue Farms (Kevin and family) - thank you for hosting this event. Without support like yours, it would be very difficult to hold our competition day. To all the competitors from near and far - we are always so thankful to have such great people show up for our annual event. We appreciate the miles you traveled and the time on the roads. We all know travel costs add up anymore. We were also so happy to see some new faces in the class lists and that brings hope that we will continue on for a while. To those who fed the plowmen and others today - we certainly appreciate the contributions you made to our event. The Petrolia Lions club kept those at the site fed. And to wrap up the day, the ladies and gentlemen from the Camlachie United Church provided a wonderful roast beef dinner for our banquet. Ontario Queen Maranda Klaver and 2023-2025 Lambton Queen Autumn Bressette To the Ontario Queen of the Furrow Maranda Klaver - thank you for joining us today. We certainly appreciate the work you’ve put in across the province this year promoting local branches and the IPM. To our 2022-23 Queen of the Furrow Morgan Rombouts - thank you for representing us this past year. We wish you a good time at the Queen of the Furrow competition at the IPM later this month. To our incoming Queen of the Furrow Autumn Bressette - we look forward to working with you over the next year to fulfill our mission of preserving and promoting the art of plowing and agriculture in Lambton County. To our judges - Eric Prelaz and Paul Dodds - thank you for doing the job that no one else envies you - scoring the lands. We appreciate you joining us today. To our sponsors - we owe the hugest gratitude. Whether your donation was financially or “in kind”, we couldn’t hold our annual event without you. To CHOK Radio in Sarnia - thank you for helping promote our day and spending some time with us on match day. To those who brought displays - thank you for helping is celebrating our agricultural past. With displays such as you provide a chance to learn about some of the past agricultural equipment and continue to support the agricultural community in Lambton County. To those who came out and enjoyed the day - we hope you had a good time and we will see you back again. To our committee - thanks for the support of the event. And to those who help out for the day but aren’t part of the committee, thanks for pitching in. Together we get the day pulled together.

Kody Vandevenne & Queen Lauren Elliott Lambton County's 2019 match was hosted by Robson Farms in St Clair Township. Due to heavy rains the week of the 25th we had to move the match date back to Labour Day weekend on the Sunday. As it happened it was a light rain all day. Sixteen dedicated plowmen came out to plow. Plowing started at 9:45 am and we completed around 1:30-2:00pm. A moment of silence was held for Bill Bilton who passed away last summer. Bill was a member since 1958 for 61 years. He served as secretary for 58 of those years. Bill was a wealth of knowledge and will be missed by our Association.

Pictured with the scholarship winners are Scholarship committee members Dennis Bryson, Barb McNeil and Bryan Boyle. Photo Credit: Metcalfe Photography For Immediate Release October 15, 2023 – Brigden Ontario Three post-secondary students from Lambton County were each awarded $2,000 scholarships from proceeds of the 1991 International Ploughing Match held in Lambton. Rewarded for their community involvement and scholastic ability were Emma Ouellette, from St. Clair and Tecla Gerrits, from Enniskillen. Absent was Aimee MacKinlay, from Plympton-Wyoming. IPM 91 Trustees were impressed with the quality of all the applications submitted. -30- Background: The legacy of Lambton County’s highly successful 1991 International Plowing Match (IPM) is continuing to help deserving students in Lambton County continue their post-secondary studies. To be eligible for the scholarship applicants must have completed one-year of post-secondary training or be enrolled in their second year of any college or university. The annual deadline to apply is September 15th. Contact: Bryan Boyle Emma Ouellette from St. Clair and Tecla Gerrits from Enniskillen

Winthrop's Brian MacDonald, right, assists John Dekroom of Dublin, ON as he competes in the walking-plow class at the Lambton Plowing Match Aug. 30, 2025. (Tyler Kula/The Observer) About three dozen competitors brought their tractors and horses to Plympton-Wyoming Saturday for the annual Lambton Plowing Match. Sunny skies and slightly chilly late August temperatures greeted the field at Keith and Alma Hart’s London Line farm. “Absolutely fantastic conditions,” said Patrick Sanders, who placed second Friday at the Canadian national championships in Ayton, southeast of Hanover in Grey County. The long-time Alvinston competitor also was coaching family members and competing in Lambton’s event Saturday. Alvinston’s Patrick Sanders, right, coaches his nephew, Cameron Vos, at the Lambton Plowing Match Saturday in Plympton-Wyoming. (Tyler Kula/The Observer) The match is one of several on a circuit of qualifiers for the International Plowing Match, the provincial competition in which Sanders placed second in his class last year, advancing to nationals. “Exactly what we love to plow,” Sanders said of Saturday’s conditions. “Nice clay ground, but lots of moisture in it.” Repeating as second best in Canada, a title Sanders said he’s held a few times before, is “all right,” he said. “It’s always a thrill to be one of the best in the nation, but I haven’t quite achieved that goal of being the best plowman in Canada.” Watford’s Harper Shea competes in the Lambton Plowing Match in Plympton-Wyoming Saturday. (Tyler Kula/The Observer) A handful of first- and second-year competitors took part in Saturday’s competition, signalling some could be gearing up for 2027, said Kathi McNeil, an event organizer with the Lambton Plowmen’s Association. Queen of the Furrow, municipal class competitions and antique tractor displays also were part of the annual event, she said. “It’s a great family day,” she said. “It certainly celebrates our roots.” Lambton Plowing Match co-host Keith Hart is seen here with his 1955 Allis-Chalmers WD45 tractor. (Tyler Kula/The Observer) Keith Hart, who also hosted the 2024 Lambton Plowing Match at the property, said he was pleased to see it back. “It’s wonderful to see it,” he said Saturday, hours after competing in the walking plow category. Don Lunn, left, and Kathi McNeil, are with the Lambton Plowmen’s Association. (Tyler Kula/The Observer) Burford’s Jonathan Marcy competes at the Lambton Plowing Match in Plympton-Wyoming Aug. 30, 2025. (Tyler Kula/The Observer) ~Tyler Kula~ Sarnia Observer