by R. BRUCE McINTYRE
Special to whitewaternews.ca
Beachburg — A true family affair is how Jack MacGregor describes the 2015 edition of the Renfrew County Plowing Match, which takes place Saturday at his farm near Beachburg.
Mr. MacGregor, along with his wife of 40 years, Shirley, are getting their FourMac Farm ready for the annual celebration of agriculture. Their daughter, Jackie and her husband, Nathan Latchford, have the honour of following a long line of local families who have hosted the event for over 25 years.
At first Mr. MacGregor was surprised when approached by the Renfrew County Plowmen’s Association organizing committee to host the annual fall showcase.
“Yes, I was surprised,” Mr. MacGregor said. “But the Plowing Match is one of the few times when all the farmers and their families can get together from around the county and share stories and get caught up on all the happenings, so Shirley and I agreed to host it.”
The two families who make up FourMac farms have a long history in the area. Mr. MacGregor is a third generation farmer, who actually returned to the homestead to take up farming.
“I moved away in the 1960s to work at Inco in Sudbury,” he said. “It was okay, but when you compare to working hundreds of feet underground compared to working above ground and actually growing something, there really is no comparison.”
When Mr. MacGregor returned to Beachburg in the 1970s, he began farming on Davidson Road, near the intersection of Zion Line and Beachburg Road. He also set out on a business venture.
If there is one business that is synonymous with Beachburg, it is MacGregor Concrete.
He bought the concrete business from his Uncle Gordon in April of 1975 and has never looked back.
Mr. MacGregor started the business by making 500, 600 and 700 gallon septic tanks using a small hydraulic mixer on the back of his farm tractor. The tanks were then delivered by three ton or five ton Dodge trucks with A-Frames on the back. MacGregor Concrete now has four boom trucks to deliver the tanks which range from 100 gallon pump tanks to 6,000 gallon septic tanks.
Although 40 years has passed since he launched the business, many of his original customers and second-generation customers treat MacGregor Concrete as an old family friend.
“Spending more than 40 years in both agriculture and the concrete business, Shirley and I have made life-long friends,” he said. “We are looking forward to the plowing match as a chance to say hello to old friends and open up our family farm to neighbours and visitors as well.”
There will be a wide variety of activities geared towards families of all ages including a main entertainment stage featuring local talent including The Countrymen and The Town Liners. The kids zone will have a variety of crafts, an animal display, face-painting and a dog agility course.
Of course, no plowing match would be complete without the Renfrew Pipes and Drums as part of the opening ceremonies. The actual plowing match component will feature a celebrity contest pitting local well-known people in a heated battle in the fields of FourMac Farms.
There will also be an opportunity for members of the 4-H Plow Team to hop on the tractors and test their skills in the fields to find out who is the champion of their age group. This crowd favourite always gets lively as friends and family cheer on the kids who may one day be the future farmers working these fields.
Local food vendors including SledZZ BBQ, Billy T’s Pizza and Captain Fish Express will be alongside the home cooked breakfast served up by the Renfrew County 4-H Club and lunch will be a fundraiser by the Beachburg Relay for Life Committee.
In addition to the food and entertainment, a number of local farm machinery distributors will be displaying both modern and antique machinery. The big machines are always an attraction for kids to climb up and sit in the cabs of the various equipment.
The plowing match site is located on Davidson Road near the junction of Zion Line and Beachburg Road.
The gates open at 8:30 a.m and the match runs until 5 p.m.
