Samuel Bourgon Top Horse and overall winner. Courtesy Photo
As Eastern Ontario slowly tries to get back to normal after a year and a half of Covid induced isolation, the Ottawa Carleton Plowmen’s Association (OCPA) came out for their first plowing match of the year.
The event was held on Aug. 28 the at Anderson Links Golf Course and was hosted by Gib and Elsie Patterson.
There were 26 participants. The weather ranged from cold to chilly with a dash of rain but the fields were relatively hard and dry after weeks of draught.
Plowers used modern and vintage tractors and there were a few horses working away in the fields as well.
The judges for the event was Ray St. Denis and Matt McGuire, the Steward was Lawrence Payne.
Ray St. Denis thanked all of the competitors who came to the event.
He noted that some competitors came from not to far away while others travelled a distance to be at the match.
“What I saw out there today, the land is dry, the land is hard and the competitors I believe did the best that they could,” he said.
The top winner of the day was Samuel Bourgon in horse class, jointer plow. He was also named winner of the overall best plowed land.
The top winner in the Conventional plowing class was Allen Hills and the top Antique competitor was Michel Calande.
In the amateur class William and Frederick Machabee took top honours in the horse class, jointer plow.
Alex Dowdall was the winner in the 15 years and under group. Allen Hills came out on top in his division while Jean-Marc Dessaint came in second and Gordon Smith came in third.
Jeran-Guy Thivierge took first place in the antique tractor prior to 1945 class and André Joly came in second.
The 1946 to n1960 class featured a win by Michel Calande with Paul Bourbonnais and Russell Jones coming in second and third respectively.
The antique mounted plow top honours went to Nicole Calande followed in second place by Denis Bourbonnais
The next plowing match of the summer is planned for Sat., Oct. 9 as the Stormont County Plowman’s Association hosts its event at Rosevine Farms.
Their address is 2558 Goldfield Road North, Berwick Ontario.
Joseph Morin is the Editor of the Eastern Ontario AgriNews, and the Record. He is, despite years of practice, determined to eventually play the guitar properly. He has served the Eastern Ontario community as a news editor, and journalist for the past 25 years with the Iroquois Chieftain, Kemptville Advance, West Carleton Review, and Ottawa Carleton Review in Manotick. He has never met a book he did not like.
