Plowing match returns to site of '85 IPM

September 17, 2009

For some who attended the Elgin County Plowing Match on Saturday at the Bradish farm, the memories came flooding back.

People spoke about how the site was the same one using for the 1985 International Plowing Match.

That was a timely recollection, as Elgin is less than year away from hosting the 2010 IPM, although the site will be different, in Central Elgin.

Helen Bradish, who along with husband Tom volunteered at the 1985 IPM, recalled the scale of that event.

"There were more than 80,000 people here during the week," she said, scanning the acres of cleared area the Bradishes now use for cash crop production.

Saturday, under all-day sun and moderate temperatures, approximately 48 plowmen were on hand to compete.

"That's better than other years," said Alistair Cameron, secretary of the Elgin Plowmen's Association, which hosted the event.

"We had 12 horse teams and a perfect day," he said.

Cameron said the biggest problem all day was close competition for the judges.

"The judges had difficulty judging the plowers," he said.

"They were all good plowmen."

Norman Stansell was the best Elgin contestant, claiming the prize for the best land plowed by a county resident.

Zack McTavish of Talbotville won the prize as the best junior plowman.

Duncan McPhail of West Elgin won the celebrity class.

"Steve Peters (Liberal MPP) and Joe Preston (Conservative MP) were the best celebrity plowers," Cameron said ... at least for a while.

"But they had an advantage because they were first."

McPhail, chairman of IPM 2010, said everything is going as smoothly as can be expected for the event which will set up just east of St. Thomas.

IPM 2010 committee members are in Temiskaming, Ont., this week attending the 2009 IPM.

"All of our committees are pretty well positioned to go into this last year," McPhail said.

"Things are going to start speeding up," he predicted. "There's not a lot yet for volunteers to do."