by Connie Tabbert
Editor
COBDEN — Mother Nature did not co-operate for the 133rd annual Renfrew County Plowing Match.
Just as the opening ceremonies came to an end around 10:30 a.m., the feeling of rain was most definitely in the air. Many knew it wasn’t going to hold off until noon. And they were right.
By 11:15 a.m., the rain had started. By noon, there were more cars exiting the plowing match than entering.
“Attendance was down,” said Myles England, president of the Renfrew County Plowmen’s Association. “We had about 65 per cent of the normal numbers. We had about 730 paid. The average over the past few years has been about 1,100.
“There were only about 100 children,” he added.
He believes many people came early knowing the rain was going to come. If it had rained any earlier than it did, he believes attendance would have been worse, because people wouldn’t have come out later in the day.
“This is the first year in a long time that we’ve had bad weather,” Mr. England said.
While it’s fortunate the ground was a sandy loam, he did note there were a few vehicles that almost didn’t make it out of the laneway due to the muddy mixture.
However, while some people were dampened by the rain, there were others who stuck it out, he said. There were five tractor plowmen and three horse plowmen competing, and they were able to finish before the field became unbearable. However, treasurer Yves Rochon left town Monday morning and Mr. England did not have the placement results.
Gabriel Lecavalier, at 84 years old, was presented with the oldest plowman’s plaque.
“He’s come to this match for a lot of years,” Mr. England said.
The three horse plowmen were Mr. Lecavalier of Mountain (near Kemptville); Cec Andrews of Boulter (near Bancroft) and Lyle Killeen of Carp.
The Opening
The Afelskie family was the host family this year — Anna Mary and Sylvester and their children Peter (Vikki) and Gerrard (Bev). During the opening ceremonies they were recognized by Mr. England and the crowd gathered.
“Welcome to the 133rd annual Renfrew County Plowing Match,” Mr. Myles said to those gathered near the entertainment stage. “We thank the host farmers for giving up the farm for more than a day to host this this event.
“We also thank the volunteers for putting this all together.”
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Cheryl Gallant, who was able to walk around prior to the opening ceremonies, said, “It’s a job well done.
“I’m very thankful to the Afelskies who are providing us with this wonderful land, no mud, it’s flat and easy to access,” she said.
It’s the people who attend the event who help make it successful year after year, she said.
“If you didn’t attend and participate, we wouldn’t have the success and continued interest in the agricultural community that comes to life every fall,” MPP Gallant said.
She also thanked the Afelskies for hosting the event.
“To Sylvester and his wife, thank you for taking care of the land all these decades so this day would finally come,” she said.
She then presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the family.
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski, introduced as the “singing member of parliament,” and who later sang on stage, joked with emcee Dai Bassett. As Mr. Bassett introduced MPP Yakabuski, he suggested the two politicians get together and sing The Lake Dore Waltz.
Laughing, MPP Yakabuski responded, “Your chances of getting drowned in Lake Dore one of these days are getting better if you keep putting Cheryl on the spot like that,” bringing laughter from the crowd.
He noted there was a hardy crowd gathered beneath the cloudy sky.
“It’s not the nicest of days, but leave it to Dai to start if off on a positive note,” he said. “He can always find a silver lining in every cloud. Yes, we could be in Calgary.”
This is the MPPs 11th or 12th plowing match he has attended, and he found the crowd impressive despite the weather.
“I thank the people who put so much into making this happen,” MPP Yakabuski said. “None of this happens by accident. You put so much effort into making this so very special. All of the plowing matches I’ve been fortunate to attend in Renfrew County have a uniqueness to them, and the Afelskie match this year will be no different.
“I thank each and every one of you for the support you give our farming communities. They are the backbone of Renfrew County and have been for over 150 years,” he said, continuing, “They are the ones always there for us. Thank you for being there for the farmers.
“God knows they are the ones at the mercy of the weather,” the MPP said, adding, “No matter what you do as a farmer, no matter how good you are, no matter how good your equipment is, it all depends on what the weather’s like.
“Thank you to the farmers for what you give us and thank you to you for supporting our farmers.”
Whitewater Region Township Mayor Jim Labow welcomed everyone to the township for this wondrous event. He too, thanked the Afelskie family for donating the use of their farm and the volunteers with the plowmen’s association for working so hard to make it a success.
“I know from being secretary-treasurer of the plowmen’s association in the early years, this one day event takes months to plan and to get ready for,” Mayor Labow said. “It’s not an easy job and they are to be commended for that and all the volunteers they bring with them.
“Talk to some of the farmers if you can, just to find out what farmers need to do today to make a living and to provide food for your plates.”
Bev Afelskie spoke on behalf of the family. She thanked Raymond Stoppa for allowing those attending the match to cross his hayfield. She also thanked her in-laws for taking good care of the property and allowing the two brothers take over the land and farm it.
“We welcome everyone here,” she said. “We thank the plowmen’s association for giving us this opportunity to host this event. We hope everyone enjoys themselves. Take a good walk around, have a great day and try and keep warm.”
The Royalty
Miranda Crogie, Queen of the Furrow for 2013 and 2012, and Shavaun Donohue, Furrow princess for 2013, each addressed the crowd, thanking the plowmen’s association for their support, as well as family and friends.
“I can remember two years ago that I was standing on this stage, standing right up here, giving a speech, shaking like a leaf and just reading it off the paper,” Ms. Crogie said. “And here I am today. I haven’t even looked at a piece of paper and I’m just giving a speech. This is something the program has taught me how to do and now I give speeches, basically whenever I get the opportunity.”
Cailen Bromley, who is this year’s Queen of the Furrow, told the crowd she needed to give a two minute talk on agriculture. When she thought about it, her mind kept going towards the media campaigns – Farmers Feed Cities, Eat Local Food and the Hundred Mile Diet, as well as others.
“We are educating the public,” she said. “We go to school five days a week for that, do we really need these campaigns.”
She knows where the food comes from.
“It comes from the supermarket,” Ms. Bromley said.
However, coming from a farm family, she knows that’s not true. But, for the thousands who live in cities and towns, that’s what they may very well think, and therefore, educating the public is important.
“It’s also about appreciating us farmers who work so hard to produce that food,” she said. “It’s not like it use to be, when you would just go down the road and get your produce.
“Some people have to drive an hour before they hit a farm, and many don’t even see it, they drive right past, they don’t even look at it.
“Farmers feed cities,” Ms. Bromley said. “Farmers work hard with blood, sweat and tears all year long to produce that food so it can be on your plate.”
The next meal you eat, think about where that food really comes from and thank those farmers, she said.
The media campaigns are all about buying safe, healthy food from local producers, which in turns means you are helping to give back to the local economy, she explained.
“So, instead of reaching for those supermarket products, go on down the road to your local farmers, local producers, help support them and congratulate them on all the hard work they’ve done to produce that food.
“Let’s keep the community going. The media campaigns are doing good.
“Thank you to all the farmers who do so much hard work so we can eat every day and enjoy our food,” Ms. Bromley concluded.”
Following a thunderous applause from the crowd, Ms. Bromley was then presented with her tiara, sash and flowers as the Queen of the Furrow for Renfrew County.
Mr. Bassett encouraged one and all to enjoy the day before the rain starts. He also read aloud the names of the entertainers who would be on stage throughout the day.
The Ending
By 1 p.m., many of the people had left. Those still wandering the grounds were dressed in rain gear or were drenched. But the rain didn’t appear to dampen their spirits. The many vendors, crafters, dealers and organizations who had booths at the match remained for as long as they could.
It was disappointing the planned tillage demonstration was not a go, Mr. England said, but the dealers did understand.
Mr. England said while the match might have lost money this year, it would have been much more devastating a loss if it weren’t for the sponsors of the event.
“We came very close to breaking even,” he said a day later. “We appreciate the support of the 40 sponsors.”
The host family is also thanked, Mr. England said.
“They were there when we needed them,” he said. “The Afelskie family really helped out.
He said there is always some talk about hosting a two-day plowing match, but the association isn’t too sure that would be any more profitable, since the attendance may just be split. It may work well for when there is poor weather, but there would also be more expenses, he added.
However, the rain may have come and scared the people away, plans are underway for the 134th annual Renfrew County Plowing Match, he said. If anyone has ideas for the event, or wants to host the event, call Mr. England, 582-3470 or contact any member of the association.
