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Lorne Hart plows a furrow at the Lambton County Plowing Match in Plympton-Wyoming Aug. 31, 2024. He’s the grandson of this year’s match host Keith Hart, organizers said. (Photo by Alyssa Minten) Photo by Alyssa Minten Lambton’s warden claimed his first municipal-class title at Saturday’s Lambton County Plowing Match. It felt “great” to win, though the conditions were challenging, said Kevin Marriott, also mayor of Enniskillen Township. “There was a real tight spot that you had to adjust the plow as you went through it, or the tractor just sat and spun,” said Marriott, who beat Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Gary Atkinson in a head-to-head match for this year’s title. The class is for fun, and invites municipal leaders and their representatives, many of whom have no experience at plowing, to try it out in competition. Marriott, noting he plowed competitively in the 1980s, said he’s also contended in the Lambton match’s municipal class before, but never won. It was good to come out on top this year, he said. Usually there are more class participants, but scheduling conflicts kept the field at just two this year, he said. “One of my goals is next year to make sure I get more of them out,” Marriott said about other Lambton politicians. “The volunteers keeping this going need more participation, and it would be good if we started with the municipal challenge.” Ken Milliken plows a furrow in a thick stand of tall red clover at the Lambton County Plowing Match in Plympton-Wyoming Aug. 31, 2024. There were 34 people taking part in the competition, organizers said. (Photo by Alyssa Minten) Photo by Alyssa Minten Conditions were also tricky this year for some more serious competitors at the match that tests how straight and neatly people plow, said Linda and Dennis Bryson, with the event-organizing Lambton Plowmen’s Association. Red clover, under-seeded in a wheat field last fall at Keith and Alma Hart’s Plympton-Wyoming host property, was “knee height” even after being clipped down, they said, complicating the otherwise usual wheat-stubble conditions. Experienced competitors said they enjoyed the rare challenge, the Brysons said, noting 34 altogether took part Saturday. The annual Lambton match, first held in 1920, is one of several on a circuit, where competitors amass points to qualify for the International Plowing Match in October. The Lambton match day also featured 11 antique tractors and plows, a horse team, some newcomers, and upward of 500 spectators, the Brysons said in a news release. Alvinston’s Autumn Bressette, who took over as Lambton Queen of the Furrow about a year ago when the former queen stepped down, won her way back to the title that challenges competitors in pageantry and plowing prowess, they said. Bressette competes for the provincial title Oct. 1-5 in Lindsay, Ont., they said. ~Tyler Kula~ Sarnia Observer

Tractor plowing through field. (Photo courtesy www.plowingmatch.org) A century long tradition returns to Lambton County this weekend. The Lambton County Plowing Match Saturday will be held at the London Line farm of Keith Hart in Plympton-Wyoming. The free event includes a number of activities throughout the day as well as a food booth and a tractor and wagon ride. "A lot of the plowmen who are coming out have antique tractors and plows, we have one horse team that is coming for sure, we'll have a few antique tractors or farm equipment on display," said the Secretary of the Lambton County Plowmen's Association Linda Bryson. "We're inviting people with old pick-up trucks to come. We'll have designated areas for them to park at," she said. Additionally, there will be the Queen of the Furrow competition. Bryson said the event has grown over the years. "We've estimated over the last couple of years we've had three to four hundred or more people come out," she said. Bryson said plowing has now grown into more of an art form. "It's all scored on straightness, evenness, coverage of the land and it's a skill like any other hobby and they strive to do better and better," she said. Registration is at 9 a.m. and the event starts at 10 a.m. ~Lindsay Newman~ Blackburn News

The sculpture Early Morning Down on the Farm stands guard at the Brigden Fairgrounds. File photo / The Observer More than 30 years after Lambton County held the International Plowing Match near Petrolia, the work of its volunteers continues through the awarding of annual scholarships. Applications are being accepted for three $2,000 Lambton IPM 91 Scholarships available to Lambton students entering their second year of post-secondary education. Those wishing to apply are being asked to contact Bryan Boyle by email at bryan@bryanboyle.ca. Sept. 15 is the deadline for applications. A candidate’s community involvement receives the greatest weight when fund trustees consider applications, said Boyle, one of the trustees. “That’s 50 per cent of the marks so the well-rounded candidate is the one that wins,” he said. “A person that’s involved in a wide range of things often does way better.” Academic records and financial need are also considered. The emphasis on community involvement “reflects the folks who were active in the IPM in 1991,” Boyle said. Boyle said he keeps records of past winners and “you look down that list and there’s pretty active careers and successful community-oriented folks.” Winners of 2022 Lambton IPM ’91 scholarships, Kara MacKinlay, left, Nikki Boere, and Rawson Donald, are shown at the Brigden Fair. Photo by Tyler Kula / The Observer The scholarship fund was created with about $100,000 in local profit from the 1991 International Plowing Match (IPM) hosted by a committee of volunteers in Lambton. “The thought was this would be a lasting reminder” of the community effort behind hosting the large event “and every year it has proven to be that,” Boyle said. The 1991 International Plowing Match welcomed more than 90,000 visitors over several days to the farm show and plowing competition hosted by a group of local volunteers. Organizers in Lambton decided not to follow the typical pattern where local committee members received modest per diems from local profits, with the rest going to charity. Instead, with encouragement from plowing match chairperson, the late Leonard McNeil, the Lambton volunteers decided to put the local profit into the scholarship fund after using a little bit of cash to hold a roast beef supper to thank everyone who helped. Typically, the number of applications each year is in the “10 to a dozen range,” Boyle said. Winners are announced Thanksgiving weekend at the Brigden Fair. The scholarships have reached a point in their history where those receiving them today weren’t alive when the 1991 plowing match was held on farms just outside of Petrolia. “It won’t be too long, and it will be a second generation coming” with previous winners now having families with children at or reaching the age when they will be eligible to apply, Boyle said. ~Paul Morden~ Sarnia Observer

Eva Vos, 11, of Alvinston, competes Saturday during the Lambton County Plowing Match on Confederation Line in Sarnia. Photo by Paul Morden / The Observer The Lambton County Plowing Match left its mark Saturday on a farm field on Confederation Line in Sarnia. This year’s running of the county’s competitive plowing event was hosted by Kevin Forbes and his family on their farm in Sarnia. There were 30 plowing competitors on tractors entered, as well as four plowing competitors who were sharing two teams of horses. The county match has been held since 1920 and this year’s event was the centennial of the first of three times Lambton has hosted the International Plowing Match. Several hundred spectators were expected at Saturday’s county match and an awards banquet was scheduled for the evening at Camlachie United Church. More photos by Paul Morden, The Observer: ~Paul Morden~ Sarnia Observer

Lambton Queen of the Furrow Morgan Rombouts, left, joins host Kevin Forbes and two of his kids, Jackson and Mallory, at the Sarnia field where this year's Lambton County Plowing Match will be held Sept. 2. Forbes said Jackson and Mallory may compete. (Tyler Kula/ The Observer) Kevin Forbes and his family have attended plowing matches before, but never competed. Now that they’re hosting this year’s Lambton County Plowing Match, at least some in his family are planning to give it a try, the Sarnia farmer said. “It’s kind of neat experience being able to host an event like this,” Forbes said. Expectations are 30-35 people overall will test how straight and neatly they can plow Sept. 2 in the competition set for the Forbesvue Farms field at the southwest corner of Waterworks Road and Confederation Line, said Linda Bryson with the Lambton Plowman’s Association. Lambton plowing matches have been held since 1920, and 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the first International Plowing Match (IPM) hosted in Lambton, she said. Others were held in 1973 and 1991. Hopes are 300 to 500 spectators turn out Sept. 2, Bryson said, noting plowing starts at 10 a.m. Various communities hold plowing matches in August and September where plowmen compete for points to enter the larger IPM competition, this year held in Bowling Green, in Dufferin County, Sept. 19-23. Lambton Plowman’s Association president Allan Ellwood is among the circuit competitors, and said he’s hoping to make another 125 points to gain IPM entry. “You do have the odd person who’s really serious and it’s fun to beat these fellas,” said the Sarnia farmer who’s been competing since 1986. “But anyway, it’s tough.” No-till farming means fewer farmers plow at all now, and doing so in competition requires some artistry, Bryson said. “They’re like a family those plowmen,” she said. “It’s like a big reunion every year.” Competitions and association presidency rotates through the municipalities in Lambton County every two years, so the last plowing match in Sarnia was in 2006, Ellwood said. Attractions this year include antique tractors and plows, horse plowing, a Goodison steam engine, a steam threshing machine, and a Lambton Heritage Museum Display about John Goodison — who hosted the 1923 IPM on his farm, Bryson said. People with older pickup trucks are invited to bring them out, and the competition finishes with a municipal class in which local mayors and their representatives have been invited to take part. “Last year we had about six or seven that came out,” Bryson said, noting a tractor plow and a coach are provided. “It’s a fun class,” she said. “It’s just people enjoy watching it.” The day caps off with an awards banquet at Camlachie United Church, Bryson said. More information is available at lambtonplowmens.ca. ~Tyler Kula~ Sarnia Observer

Winners of 2022 Lambton IPM '91 Trust Fund scholarships Kara MacKinlay, left, Nikki Boere, and Rawson Donald, pose at the Brigden Fair Saturday. Each received $2,000. (Tyler Kula/ The Observer) Inflation had an effect this year on annual scholarship prizes awarded at the Brigden Fair. For the first time in its history, $2,000 sums were awarded via the Lambton IPM ’91 awards, originally set up with more than $125,000 raised at the 1991 International Plowing Match held in the county, said Bryan Boyle, a member of the fund’s committee of trustees. In the past, three prizes of $1,000 had been awarded annually to area post-secondary students, who selected by fund trustees based on community involvement, academic record, financial need, and discretionary needs like medical concerns or the death of a family member. The decision to double the sum this year was made because of rising expenses, Boyle said. “Because the principal had never been used, you see, and in terms of planning for the future, it’s much better to have a reasonable amount … in the hands of the kids, as opposed to sitting, making a small amount of interest.” This change could possibly affect the longevity of the scholarship, which is designed to run indefinitely, but not for many years, Boyle said. “The principal would last for at least another 25 years even if there was no interest,” he noted. This year’s scholarship winners were Nikki Boere, 19, of Warwick, and Rawson Donald, 19, and Kara MacKinlay, 20, both of Plympton-Wyoming. Boere is studying nursing at McMaster University, Donald is studying chemical production and power engineering technology at Lambton College, and MacKinlay is attending the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology in London, with plans to become an audio engineer, officials said. Saturday’s awards were in person after being held virtually for two years amid COVID-19, Boyle said. “We’re glad to be back in (person) and in an agricultural setting,” he said. ~Tyler Kula~ Sarnia Observer

Randall Ellwood competes in the Lambton County Plowmen's Association's 100th plowing match on Saturday in St. Clair Township. Terry Bridge/Sarnia Observer/Postmedia Network 📷 Terry Bridge/The Observer ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP – Lauren Elliott has set a record that may never be broken. The Corunna-area resident won the 2017-18 Petrolia and Enniskillen Fall Fair Ambassador competition. Four years later, Elliott, now 24, still holds the title of Lambton County Queen of the Furrow. “I’m the longest reigning one because of COVID,” she said Saturday with a chuckle. “Two years of no match.” Saturday marked a century of organized competitive local plowing when the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association finally hosted a plowing match that had already been cancelled twice due to the pandemic. Kody Vandevenne, the association’s president, conceded it’s been a little strange not having a competition since 2019. “Getting back into the rhythm of things is difficult,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the association and the committee members, I don’t know what we’d do.” Lambton County Plowmen's Association's 100th plowing match on Saturday in St. Clair Township. 📷 Terry Bridge/Sarnia Observer/Postmedia Network The 100th match was held on a scorching late morning and early afternoon at Wayne Bruton’s farm on Rokeby Line in St. Clair Township, about 20 minutes south of Sarnia. Participants competed in eight classes based on the age of their tractors and the style of their plows, ranging from horse-drawn antiques to modern technology. There was a wide range in participants, too. “We got plowers from all over Southwestern Ontario, some as far as Hagersville,” Vandevenne said. “We got some from Chatham-Kent, lots from Middlesex (County), but all different counties around.” A trio of Ontario Plowmen’s Association-certified judges from Chatham-Kent and Middlesex County rated the results. “There’s four categories on your scorecard: your open split, your crown, general plowing and your finish. And in every single one of those categories, straightness is a big one,” Vandevenne said, “and then it’s how we turn the soil – how we cover it.” Each plot was about 15 metres wide and approximately 30 metres long, and was expected to take around three hours to complete. In the meantime, Scott Menary and the Barnburners performed on a nearby stage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There was also food and various vendors, including the Lambton 4-H Association, the Grain Farmers of Ontario, a farm safety group, and a display detailing local history. One of the earliest local plowing matches is believed to have been held about a century ago at the late John Goodison’s farm in what is now east Sarnia. “It’s paved over,” association secretary Linda Bryson said. The winners of the latest edition of the event will represent Lambton County at the 2023 and ’24 international events. A banquet and awards ceremony was slated for Saturday afternoon in Brigden. This year’s International Plowing Match is slated for later this month in Kemptville, Ont., near Ottawa. ~Terry Bridge~ Sarnia Observer

First Monday — After a two-year delay, the Lambton County Plowmen's Association is looking forward to celebrating the 100th competition day on Sept 3 2022.

LAMBTON COUNTY – The Lambton Plowmen’s Association celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Lambton County Plowing Match on Saturday, September 3. Located at 1748 Rokeby Line in St. Clair Township, the Match is free for everyone to enjoy. Back after a two-year pandemic pause, the event features classic, antique and horse plowing competitions, mixed with youth activities, on-site vendors and displays, plowing classes, antique machinery, and entertainment from Scott Manery & the Barn Burners. Organizers with the Association received a grant from Lambton County’s Creative County program to promote the anniversary event. They’re also working closely with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton. “This project exemplifies what the Creative County Fund aims to achieve by nurturing and fostering creativity through collaboration and providing support for local organizations,” Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott said. “I am proud that the Creative County Fund has been able to play a small role in this project, supporting the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association on their mission to inspire, support and preserve the art of plowing and agriculture in Lambton County. The collaboration between these groups and the end result of this project is incredible to see.” New for this year, the Technology Department at St Patrick’s High School has been working closely with the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association on several marketing initiatives that will help them promote the event to a broader audience. “This project offered all parties a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to work together. Students had a firsthand opportunity to dive into the rich rural history of our County and to use their skills to assist the Lambton County Plowing Match (LCPA) in developing their materials. As an educator, to watch the members of our LCPA interact and share their knowledge with our students and immerse themselves into learning new digital sandbox concepts were truly inspiring.’’ Robert Walicki, educator at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School, explained. “This LCPA project is a fantastic example of multigenerational collaborative lifelong learning in action.” “This year marks Lambton County Plowmen’s 100th Anniversary. We are excited to once again be able to competitive plow. We are planning activities for the whole family to celebrate this milestone,” Dennis Bryson, member of the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association, said. “We had to postpone the event during the pandemic, however we are excited to be back and have exceptional support from our sponsors and collaborative partners to celebrate 100 years this September.” The non-profit Association has held local plowing matches since 1920 at sites that rotate across Lambton County’s rural townships. Lambton County has also hosted the International Plowing Match in 1923, 1973 and 1991. Farmers Forum

The Lambton Plowmen’s Association announced that it will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Lambton County Plowing Match on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 at 1748 Rokeby Line in St. Clair Township. The 100th anniversary celebration is a free event and the plowing match will feature classic, antique and horse plowing competitions, mixed with youth activities, on-site vendors and displays, plowing classes, antique machinery, and entertainment from Scott Manery & the Barn Burners and more. The association received a grant from Lambton County’s Creative County program, and is also working closely with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton to promote the anniversary event. New for this year, the Technology Department at St Patrick’s High School worked closely with the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association on several marketing initiatives to help promote the event to a broader audience. “This project offered all parties a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to work together. Students had a firsthand opportunity to dive into the rich rural history of our County and to use their skills to assist the Lambton County Plowing Match (LCPA) in developing their materials. As an educator, to watch the members of our LCPA interact and share their knowledge with our students and immerse themselves into learning new digital sandbox concepts were truly inspiring,” Robert Walicki, educator at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School, said in a release. “This LCPA project is a fantastic example of multigenerational collaborative lifelong learning in action.’’ Dennis Bryson, member of the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association, said the association is excited to have a competitive plow after having to postpone the event during the pandemic. The non-profit association has held local plowing matches since 1920 at sites that rotate across Lambton County’s rural townships. Lambton County has also hosted the International Plowing Match in 1923, 1973 and 1991. Farmtario Staff

The 100th anniversary Lambton County Plowing Match is set for Sept. 3 in St. Clair Township. The Lambton Plowman's Association is being helped with promoting the event and its organization by students at St. Patrick's Catholic high school. From left, students Logan Lambert and Evelin Cole, association member Dennis Bryson and students Ayla Goodrow and Benton DeGurse. Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer Lambton County’s 100th anniversary plowing match is now set for Sept. 3 after organizers had to wait out the pandemic for two years. “It should have been 2020,” said Dennis Bryson, a member of the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association. He said organizers had “just got nicely started” on planning for that anniversary event, “and we had to put the brakes on.” “Now, we’re back at it,” Bryson said. “It’s coming together quite nicely.” The association joined with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Tuesday at a press conference to promote the anniversary match, where Lambton residents can test their plowing skills. This year’s match will be held at 1748 Rokeby Line in St. Clair Township, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the start of plowing slated for 10 a.m. There will be classic, antique and, hopefully, horse plowing competitions, along with live music by Scott Manery and the Barnburners, an antique machinery display, vendors and youth activities. Nelson Sage, of Thamesville, competes with his team of Belgian draft horses, Nick and Jeff, at the 2017 Lambton County Plowing Match. Photo by File photo /The Observer “We’re hoping for the best weather we can have that weekend,” Bryson said. The match has attracted 50 to 60 competitors in recent years and as many as 400 spectators over the course of the day. “We hope people will make an effort to come out,” Bryson said. Admission to the event is free and there will be food for sale from the Lions Club in Petrolia. The day will be capped off with an awards dinner. There will also be a competition for the next Queen of the Furrow, a title open to women between the ages of 19 and 25. Information is available by contacting Linda Bryson at 510-828-3311. The association received a grant from Lambton’s Creative County fund and worked with teacher Robert Walicki’s Grade 12 communication technology class at St. Patrick’s Catholic high school to create a new logo and social media presence for the group, as well as a website with historical information and videos that’s expected to go online in August. “This wasn’t just a school project,” said student Ayla Goodrow. “We were doing something for the county, something that actually had an impact. Being able to participate in that was an amazing opportunity for all of us.” Warden Kevin Marriott spoke at the press conference about how pleased he was to see the outcome of the collaboration between the plowmen’s association, the school and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton. “This project exemplifies what the Creative County fund means to achieve by nurturing and fostering creativity,” he said. “It’s a great rural event that we think is special,” Bryson said. “It’s reached 100 years and we’re going to do our best to keep it going for years in the future.” ~Paul Morden~ Sarnia Observer

Blackburn Media file photo. You have a chance to walk back in time at the Lambton County Plowing Match that takes place at the Bob Mater farm at 1759 McAuslan Rd. near Inwood in Dawn-Euphemia Saturday, September 2 2017. Lambton County Plowmen's Association Vice President Kody Vandevenne says competitors will compete in the classic, antique and horse plowing categories, using historic mouldboard plows. "That's where they cut the dirt off roughly six inches underground, and flip it over so all the sod is buried for the winter," says Vandevenne. "We have two or three guys that come out and plow with horses and then the rest of us, we plow with tractors, some antique, and then there are other guys that use tractors with mounted ploughs." Up to 50 people will compete and there will be a Queen of the Furrow category. The event begins at 10:30am.