The Hastings County Plowing Match is a time-tested tradition in the county.
The 2023 event kicked off Wednesday and quickly in full swing.
Tractors of all kinds pulled up to participate in the main event: the plowing competition.
“Much like anything else in agriculture, it’s in your blood,” said Hastings County Plowman’s Association president Clare Dracup.
Dozens of competitors hauled their tractors in for a shot at the title.
Plowing involves turning the soil over using the long blades of the plows to de-weed and make a new seed bed for the next season.
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Competitors will plow their section of the field throughout the day under the watchful eye of the judge, and at the end of the day the lines are ranked.
“They want it straight, they want it uniform, they want a good firm seed bed,” said Dracup.
His nephew Justin used to compete in youth plowing matches, but these days he can be found teaching the next generation how to do it right.
“A lot of us are second, third and maybe even fourth-generation farmers and we just want to see the little bit of heritage here keep going. It’s something my grandfather did, it’s something my father did,” said Justin.
But it’s more than just competition for the younger Dracup.
He says one of his favourite parts of the annual event is seeing people learn more about agriculture.
“A lot of people that come out to these events don’t know a lot about farming, so we can give them a little bit of knowledge,” he said.
But if jumping behind the wheel of a tractor doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s much more to it than that.
This year’s event featured over 70 vendors, as well as a number of activities for people of all ages.
For many it was a great excuse to get out in the summer with family.
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