The Frontenac Plowing Match is back

Jeff Green | Aug 17, 2022

In 2019, the Frontenac Plowing Match had its best turnout in years, thanks to a boost in marketing and programming from Open Farms, a celebration of local farming, that was sponsored by Frontenac County with support from the Township of South Frontenac.

Open Farms went virtual in 2020, in response to COVID, and in 2021 it was run as a daylong festival at Harrowsmith Centennial Park.

This year Open Farms is being put on by Frontenac County, Tourism Kingston, and South Frontenac, and features a series of paid and free events on September 10 and 11 (see page ?? for details)

The Ploughing Match is part of the Open Farms lineup and is a stand-alone event as well, at the farm of Charlie and Colleen Sloan on 3118 Sunbury Rd.

“The Frontenac County Plowmen’s Association is a pretty small group,” said Marty Oomen, the President, “and for us to put on a plowing match is a major enterprise. The help from the Open Farm’s people is big for us. It’s pretty exciting to put on a traditional ploughing match after not be able to for two years.”

Oomen said that that the association will have access to an 86-acre field at the Sloan farm, plenty of space for anyone who shows up ready to enter the ploughing competition, with extra room for a planned vendors market, live music and a food truck courtesy of Otter Creek Farms.

He estimates all of the extra events, food truck stage, vendor tent and parking can accommodate on 2 acres and ploughing on 15 acres at the most, so space will not be an issue.

“We never know how many people will show up, ready to plow, but we will be ready. A Sunday is good for us, not too many other associations that have matches on Sundays. The Wolfe Island match is the day before, on the 10th, and there might be people already in the area after ploughing in that match. The field had fall wheat planted, which has been harvested, and the field only has a stubble left, which we will mow down to about 2 inches. If the weather co-operates the conditions should be ideal for a good competition. It’s a lot of fun to compete in a ploughing match.”

Points earned at County plowing matches are used for eligibility to the annual International Ploughing Match and Rural Expo, which is being held in Eastern Ontario this year, nearby in Kemptville between September 20 and 24.

“I will go from helping out with the Frontenac match to volunteering in Kemptville,” said Oomen. “I’m really looking forward to September this year, especially after the last two years.”

Amanda Pantrey from the South Frontenac Township Recreation department is organizing the Community Hub at the ploughing match.

“Things are going well”, she said, “there will be food, vendors and live music, and our Open Farms partners at Frontenac County and Tourism Kingston are helping out with marketing. Our mandate is to bring recreational opportunities for South Frontenac residents, and a ploughing match is the kind of event that is a longstanding tradition in our township.

“We are always looking for vendors, so anyone who is interested should send me an email or give me a call.”

For information about the match, or to inquire about vendor opportunities, contact Amanda at 613-376-3027, ext. 4447, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.