Horses, tractors, exhibitors and 100,000 visitors will descend on Essa Township next September for Canada’s largest outdoor show.
The 2014 International Plowing Match (IPM) is expected to be a huge draw for Essa Township, and the surrounding region. The match happens Sept. 16 to Sept. 20, 2014.
“For a lot of the businesses around here, they will have opportunities,” says Essa Mayor Terry Dowdall. “They will have new people coming through the community during the week-long event. All the hotels, all the establishments, all through Simcoe County this is a win for everybody.”
Dowdall spoke during the official launch for the event June 1, 2013 in Ivy, Ont.
Beyond the economics of the event, the IPM is a chance for farmers to share common passions.
The main draw is the plowing competition itself, which sees contestants use horses, mules or tractors to plow long furrows in the fields. Competitors are judged on straightness of the furrow, uniformity, how well the ground was turned and the general appearance of the work.
Keith Robinson, who has been plowing for 64 years, says the act of turning the soil in a field is an art.
“To do a real good job like any artist, they try and do the best they can and get perfect at it,” Robinson says of the coming competitors.
The 2014 IPM is being held at the farm of Ivan Degeer east of Ivy at the 20th Sideroad and the 10th Line.
“Well, we offered it, and the boys accepted it,” Ivan Degeer says.
His son Barry couldn’t be happier, saying “We’ve gone to plowing matches for 60 years, so to be a host for 2014 is an incredible honour.”
For farmer Keith Robinson, the love of the land and working with the land is the common thread in all the plowing match activities.
While the full schedule has yet to be announced, events usually include a traditional barn raising, a lumberjack show, tractor events, a dog show and historic displays and demonstrations.
Tented villages usually pop up around the site, featuring hundreds of exhibitors and vendors.
This year’s IPM chairperson Cal Madill says the budget is about $3 million, and good weather could mean good profits. Anything raised beyond the cost to organize the event stays within the host community.
Last year the IPM was held in Perth County, north of London, Ont. Next year, east of Ottawa, the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry will play host.
