The International Plowing Match in Bruce County: Tradition, Innovation, and Community
The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) is one of Ontario’s best-known celebrations of agriculture and rural life. Each year, it brings together skilled plowers, farm families, exhibitors, volunteers, entertainers, and visitors for five days of competition, education, and community pride.
Plowing matches have deep roots. In Ontario, local matches began in the 1830s, were commonplace by the 1870s, and often took place alongside fall fairs. The Ontario Plowmen’s Association held the first provincial match in Toronto in 1913 to promote plowing skill and good farming practice. Today, judges still look for careful workmanship: straightness, firmness, evenness, depth, shape, and uniformity. By 1919 organizers named the event the “International” plowing Match. To qualify, plowers must earn points from a local match or previous year’s IPM. The winners and reserve plowers in designated Ontario classes at the IPM are entitled to plow for Ontario at the Canadian Plowing Match the next year.
While plowing remains the heart of the event, the IPM has grown into a broad rural expo. Visitors can watch horse, tractor, antique, junior, and championship plowing; explore a temporary “Tented City” of exhibits and demonstrations; enjoy live entertainment; and learn how agriculture continues to adapt and innovate.
Bruce County Hosts the IPM
The Bruce County Plowmen’s Association has held local plowing matches since the early 1900s. That long tradition helped Bruce County earn the opportunity to host the IPM in 1976, 1993, 2008, and 2026.
Each Bruce County IPM turned farmland into a temporary community of fields, streets, tents, parking areas, food services, entertainment venues, and volunteer-run operations. Together, these events show the County’s capacity for practical problem-solving, hospitality, and creative promotion of rural life.
1976: Bruce Beckons – Come and Mix in ‘76”
Bruce County’s first IPM was held 50 years ago from September 28 to October 2, 1976, near Walkerton on the farms of Earl and Nellie Johnston and neighbours. To win the bid, supporters promoted the County with confidence and flair, including a few busloads of people dressed in the Bruce County tartan in their demonstration.
Some doubted that Bruce County was close enough to Ontario’s major population centres to draw a large crowd. The 1976 IPM proved otherwise. Attendance reached nearly 200,000, exceeding the previous year’s record. The busiest day required three extra parking fields.
Experienced plowman Alfred Brunton chaired the local committee, while his daughter Dawn Brunton was the reigning Queen of the Furrow. Alfred competed in the 1947 World Plowing Competition in Britain and was a respected coach and judge. Lord Elgin of Scotland opened the Match, linking the event to the area’s Scottish settler heritage.
1976 Bruce County Firsts and Innovations
- Big Bruce, a 15-foot-tall fibreglass bull, became a travelling ambassador for Bruce County beef and the 1976 IPM.
- The local committee introduced the IPM Plowmen’s Ball, which attracted more than 3,000 people.
- The role of Mayor of the Tented City was introduced, with host Earl Johnston serving in the position.
- A trailer park was created for the first time, helping solve accommodation challenges in a rural setting. A billeting committee also encouraged local households to provide rooms and meals for visitors.
1976 Entertainment
Beyond the plowing fields, visitors explored farm machinery, livestock, automobiles, home appliances, crafts, and demonstrations. Programs highlighted practical skills and creativity, from flower arranging and beef cookery to fashion shows featuring Bruce County tartan.
1976 IPM by the Numbers
- Nearly 200,000 visitors (paid and complimentary) attended, setting a new record (Powers, page 209).
- $60,000 net profit supported donations to a wide range of charitable organizations in the County
- 800 – 1000 acres formed the IPM site
- 480+ exhibitors, filled 110 acres of displays
- 250 planes landed at Williams’ Airfield, just west of Walkerton, bringing 1,300+ people to the Match
- 103 plowmen entered the competitions, including three from Ireland.
- 22 committees helped organize the event
- A daily parade of oxen, horses, ponies, tractors, and farm machinery wound through Tented City
1993: “Bruce Beckons” Returns
Bruce County hosted the IPM again in 1993, returning to the Walkerton-area farms of Earl and Nellie Johnston and their neighbours. Local committee chair Jack Cumming called it “the greatest volunteer community project ever to be staged in Bruce County.” The 1993 IPM also left a lasting community benefit: generous donations of more than $100,000 were made to service clubs for their participation; $250,000 was donated to the County of Bruce General Hospital in Walkerton to support the purchase of a CT scanner.
1993 Bruce County Firsts and Innovations
- A “Breaking New Ground” float, created for Bruce County’s 125th anniversary, travelled to fall fairs to promote the IPM. The large sculpture depicted two heavy horses pulling a stump from the earth with a farmer holding the reins
- The “Country Living Exposition” reflected the growing focus on rural lifestyle, home, and community exhibits, with new exhibitors of pre-fabricated homes, cottages, and sunrooms
- A farmers’ market in the Bruce County exhibit showcased local produce and products
- The Johnstons became the only family to host the annual plowing match twice
- Machines-in-Motion demonstrations used 350 acres to show modern equipment working under farm conditions, incorporating close to 50 dealers in and around the County. This included combining soy beans and corn; no-till planter / drill demos; and forage demos – cutting / conditioning equipment and bailing / wrapping equipment.
- Nellie Johnston became the first female Mayor of the Tented City
- Sheep Dog Trials were added and quickly became a popular feature
1993 Entertainment
Entertainment was organized around themed days, including Scottish Day, Western Day, Seniors’ Day, Children’s Day, and Family Day, featuring pipe bands, singers, dancers, choirs, skipping teams, twirlers, and more! The Family Lifestyles Program used “The Best of Bruce” as its theme, showcasing local food, fashion, arts, crafts, and community talent. The Sky Hawks precision parachute team of the Canadian Forces gave crowd-pleasing performances.
High-profile guests included Prime Minister Kim Campbell, who officially opened the Match and placed first in the V.I.P. plowing competition; Ontario Premier Bob Rae; Lord and Lady Elgin of Scotland; and reigning Queen of the Furrow Tammy Thompson of Bruce County.
1993 IPM by the Numbers
- 150,149 people attended, about three times the previous year’s attendance.
- 2,000 volunteers contributed about 500,000 hours
- 800 to 1,000 acres formed the IPM site
- 1,240 trailers were registered in the trailer park
- 650+ exhibitors operated displays, booths, and demonstrations
- 350 portable toilets served visitors, and 368,900 gallons of water were used on site
- 82 wagons, donated by local farmers, carried visitors on wagon tours
- 52 caterers and food services operated during the Match
- 36 landowners and 30 committees helped make the event possible
- 10 horses powered an antique hand-fed threshing machine in the “Step Back in Time” display
2008: Come Home to the County
Bruce County hosted the IPM for a third time from September 16 to 20, 2008, this time on the farms of Wayne and Wendy McKague and a dozen other landowners north of Teeswater.
2008 Bruce County Firsts and Innovations
- The “Explore the Bruce” IPM Adventure Passport encouraged visitors to explore the full Tented City; completed passports earned a Bruce County walking stick and entered visitors for prizes.
- Wightman Telecom installed fibre-optic telephone lines within the Tented City, a first for an IPM.
- The Team Farmall Tractor Square Dance group transformed refurbished antique tractors into a precision performance, drawing large crowds several times a day. The dancing drivers demonstrated their maneuvering skills, concentration, and love of fun with speed, precision and ability.
- A record-breaking picnic table measuring 126 feet, 2 inches (38.5 metres) was built for the event
2008 Entertainment and County Showcase
The 2008 IPM expanded the visitor experience with activities ranging from cross-country biking and scuba demonstrations to cooking displays and lumberjack competitions. Lifestyles programming included singing and dancing acts, fashion shows (including a Bruce County Tartan show and a “standing-room only” Heritage Bridal Show), health and wellness presentations, food demonstrations, and horticultural displays.
The County Showcase invited visitors to explore Bruce County’s identity through a replica lighthouse and flowerpot, a sand beach, a Bruce Trail sample, a casting pond, a shipwreck dig, a horseshoe pit, a hockey shootout, and marshmallow roasting areas. Municipalities, non-profit organizations, and community groups used the space to show the County’s landscape, recreation, and community spirit.
2008 IPM by the Numbers
- 94,497 people attended
- 10,000 students took part in the educational programming
- 950 acres, owned by 12 local farm families and the Municipality of South Bruce, formed the site. Some of the land use included:
- 402 acres for plowing
- 286 acres for parking
- 135 acres for tented city, service area and antiques
- 95 acres for RV Park
- 1,892 RV sites were sold
- 1,500 people per show watched the Team Farmall square dancing tractors.
- 600+ large pieces on display in the Antiques area
- 400+ exhibitors filled the 100-acre Tented City
- 112 plow tractors and 52 people mover tractors were stored at the Tractor Park
- 58 planes landed at the temporary airstrip created on the farm of Jim and Kim Dent.
- 30 committees supported planning and operations
2026: Bruce County IPM Returns to Walkerton
The 2026 IPM will mark the 50th anniversary of Bruce County’s first time hosting the event in 1976. Fittingly, the Match is scheduled to return to the same Walkerton-area location, connecting a new generation of visitors with the County’s long record of agricultural leadership, volunteer achievement, and rural creativity
Across four host years, Bruce County’s IPM story is about more than plowing. It is a record of local people turning fields into temporary towns, solving practical challenges with ingenuity, and using agriculture to welcome visitors, celebrate heritage, and imagine the future of rural life.
Help Preserve Bruce County's IPM History
Do you have photographs, documents, reminiscences, or other memorabilia from your experiences at Bruce County International Plowing Matches? Help preserve this important part of our community’s agricultural heritage by donating items to the Bruce County Archives.
To discuss a potential donation of materials not already represented in the collection, please contact the Archives at archives@brucecounty.on.ca or call the Research Room at 226-909-2890.
Sources
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