International Plowing Match - Cook Books, Hats, Hoodies & More
DUFFERIN COUNTY, Ontario (August 21, 2023) - The summer is winding down but early registrations for the International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) always-popular Hydro One Education Centre are strong
and encouraging.
The IPM typically hosts around 8,000 students over the course of the five-day event and local organizers
report about 3,200 students have already registered by mid-August.
“We are very excited to showcase local agriculture to students in Dufferin County and surrounding areas
(and) there will be lots of chances for hands-on learning and discovery about where our food comes from,”
says Brianne Curtis, chair of the education committee with this year’s IPM.
Curtis farms with her family in Dufferin County and works full time in consumer outreach educating and
raising awareness about farming to Ontario consumers. She says she enjoys being a part of
education initiatives and programming to help students understand more about agriculture, where their food
comes from and the people that grow our food.
The education team have worked hard to ensure the experiences and opportunities at the match appeal to
every grade level and are in alignment with the current classroom curriculum, drawing the connections
between food and agriculture with science, math, language, health, arts, environmental and social studies.
Organizers have prepared a comprehensive, 30-page Curriculum Connections document to assist
educators with both their trip planning and post-visit classroom activities that covers all the grades from
Junior Kindergarten through to Grade 12.
Curtis says an IPM school field trip experience promises to be interactive, informative and will engage
students of all ages throughout their day at the Match.
But in case anyone thinks the match is a visit exclusively for the younger students, organizers report a field
trip for secondary school students can add an exciting and authentic dimension to any instructional
approach and will support the framework for the culminating task for assessment.
Registrations for the Friday have proven quite popular and are filling up fast so Curtis says they are
encouraging teachers, principals and educators to register for the Tuesday (September 19), Wednesday
(September 20) or Thursday (September 21) of the match. Tickets for students are $5.00 (children five and
under are free) and registration is required.
Both the Online School Registration Form and the downloadable Curriculum Connections document are
available at www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2023/education/. The deadline to register is Friday, September 8.
With an expected attendance of approximately 70,000 people this year’s IPM will take place from
September 19 to September 23 in Bowling Green, between Grand Valley and Laurel, in Dufferin County,
Ontario. Advanced tickets are on sale now, available online until September 5. For more information:
www.plowingmatch.org/IPM2023.
SIDEBAR
Come to the Hydro One Education Centre to:
• See live plants and animals and learn how to take care of them. You will have the chance to ask
questions of farmers who grow and take care of plants and animals. There will be opportunities for
hands on learning;
• Discover local Dufferin County agriculture and the food grown in the areas surrounding the IPM 2023;
• See what plants we are growing on site and view our worms hard at work composting lunches into
nutrient rich soil. The soil pits will give you a sneak peak at what things look like underground;
• See how a farm field can be transformed into a small city for a week; and
• Explore electrical circuits and create your own electrical pathways.
Be sure to follow us on Social Media:
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/IPM2023
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ipm2023
• Twitter: www.Twitter.com/IPM2023official
Additional Resources
• Visitor Information & Tickets: https://www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2023/visitor-info/tickets
• Map and Directions: https://www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2023/visitor-info/directions-maps
June 17, 2023 - For the first time! The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo will be held in Dufferin County – Sept 19 – 23, 2023.
Breathe in Dufferin – Ontario’s Heartland
Watch history come alive with a showcase on agriculture. Savour a taste of Ontario’s Heartland right at
your doorstep.
The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) was created by the Ontario Plowmen's
Association in 1913 to showcase farmers' passion for the soil, agriculture, and rural living. It has evolved
into a massive rural expo, where our main goal continues to be to educate people about agriculture.
This is the largest event of its kind in Canada, attracting people from all over the world. Historical
attendance numbers exceed 60,000 people over the five-day event.
The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) is happening this September in the Townships of
Amaranth and Grand Valley within Dufferin County!!
From September 19 to 23, local farmers of Dufferin County open their fields, transforming them into a
large exciting rural expo which includes a huge, tented city with virtually non-stop entertaining activities
and plowing competitions! Watch plowing through history – old fashioned horse drawn plows to the
latest high-tech plows, all competing for the straightest furrows. Spend the day or stay all five days in
our full-service RV Park with over 1,000 sites. Come and experience all that is special about the IPM and
community of Dufferin County!
“The Headwaters of the Grand offers outstanding agricultural land and a dynamic group of people who
will make the 2023 IPM an outstanding event”, said Floyd Wills, President of the Ontario Plowmen’s
Association.
The 104th edition of this unique event is a feast for your senses – fun educational activities for the
whole family!
- fabulous food
- lively music
- animal exhibits
- local vendors of craftsmen and artisans
- impressive farming demonstrations
- plowing competition
- hundreds of interesting displays and exhibitors
- a rodeo that will keep you on the edge of your seat
We thank the Ontario Plowmen’s Association, the Townships of Amaranth and Grand Valley and the
County of Dufferin for hosting this event. Dufferin County sits on the edge of the Greater Toronto Area
and is known for its agriculture, food, arts, charming settlements, rolling hills, and scenic landscapes
(includes parts of the Niagara Escarpment).
We look forward to celebrating our beautiful Heartland and good times with you! Check us out online:
https://www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2023/
Follow us on Social Media
Facebook: International Plowing Match and Rural Expo 2023
Instagram: ipm2023
About the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo
The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo celebrates farming’s history with our extensive historical displays
and demonstrations. The 2023 IPM also showcases the modern with some of the newest and most advanced plows
and agricultural equipment on the market competing.
About the Ontario Plowmen’s Association
The OPA is the parent host of the International Plowing Match. Each year the OPA partners with a local plowing
association to organize and host the International Plowing Match.
In Preparation for The 2023 International Plowing Match, the Beautification Committee has Organized a Barn Quilt Workshop 2.0
Back by Popular Demand, we are offering a second workshop!
Saturday, July 8th, 2023 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Facilitator: Barn Quilt Creations, Palmerston ON
Most patterns can be accommodated!
Look on Pinterest, in quilt books or choose from the instructor's selection.
Display on your house, garage, shed, barn, etc.
2’ x 2’ $120.00*
3’ x 3’ $170.00*
4’ x 4’ $220.00*
* Prices include workshop fee
Your signboard (aluminum composite panel) will be primed, base-coated and penciled with your pattern. The only thing you need to bring to the workshop is your enthusiasm. You will be taught the techniques using your first colour(s) and then you are free to take your artwork home to complete it at your leisure.
Pattern Picking will be arranged with Bonnie, once you have registered.
Bring your own lunch as drying time will be required between coats of paint. Space is limited and usually fills up quickly.
TO REGISTER:
Contact Bonnie Dopfer at BarnQuiltCreations@wightman.ca or 519-343-3352
Decorate the entrance of your home, driveway or business to beautify our community for the 2023 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo. Let’s welcome those coming to Dufferin.
Displays must incorporate Theme: Breathe in Dufferin – Ontario’s Heartland; Flowers: hydrangeas and fall mums (chrysanthemum);IPM 2023 Colors: Cream, Rust and Blue
Contest Entry Deadline is August 28th, 2023
For More information, rules and to enter
IPM2023Beautification@gmail.com
Bowling Green Ontario is going to be full of live entertainment at the upcoming International Plowing Match & Rural Expo this September.
Inside the tented city musicians from across Southern Ontario will be entertaining daily at three different stages. Dufferin County musicians have not been left out, everyone is so excited to be part of this great event!
The Aaron Muir Band, The Missing Link, Frosted Patterns, Alex Burnett Band, The Brewery Boys, The Ukuladies & Ukuladies, and The Orangeville Show Chorus, will all be performing during the week. Individual performers have not been forgotten, and several locals will also be featured throughout the week, rain or shine!
Entertainment throughout tented city will be outlined in the guidebook you receive when entering the Plowing Match, so plan on enjoying some free music while snacking, resting your feet, or getting out of the sun!
We are excited to announce that RAM Rodeo is confirmed as one of the events!
Advance tickets can now be purchased on our website until Sept 5th - book now and save money! *Adults (ages 16+) - $20 *Youth (ages 6—15) - $5 Children ages 5 and under are free
We would like to invite you to stay in the official RV park of the 2023 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM 2023).
The RV Park will have available spots for 1100 sites. Guests will have convenient access to all IPM activities and complementary
shuttles to and from the tented city. Saturday night special, Sunday worship service and local entertainment Monday to Friday
night will be available for all guests.
The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo celebrates farming’s history with our extensive historical displays and demonstrations. The 2023 IPM also showcases the modern with some of the newest and most advanced plows and agricultural equipment on the market competing.
The OPA is the parent host of the International Plowing Match. Each year the OPA partners with a local plowing association to organize and host the International Plowing Match.