Fifty years after it first came to Bruce County, the International Plowing Match and will return to the same grounds next week.
Tuesday, September 22, marks the official opening of the 2026 Bruce County IPM and Rural Expo. The five-day plowing match will see tens of thousands of visitors flock to just west of Walkerton for the massive expo.
The event will be held on Lang Farms land, the same fields that hosted the IPM in 1976 and 1993.
Deputy Warden of Bruce County Don Murray said the annual event is an opportunity to show what makes the county great.
"I was at the one last year in Grassie and it was on a fairgrounds, so in terms of scale, this one's likely 10 times the size," he said. "I'd classify Bruce County as the bread basket of Ontario, we are huge agriculture producers of every commodity from livestock to oilseeds, so it's a huge opportunity to showcase everything we do."
Preperation for the event has also shown the willingess of local residents to get involved, as over 1,600 volunteers have signed up to help out.
"That says it all for Bruce County, we've got great people living in this county that want to see things happen and showcase out county. They're all very proud of it," said Murray.
Spaces for exhibitors are all booked up, with over 500 expected over the five days. There will be daily shows by the Canadian Cowgirls drill team, the RAM Rodeo rolls in Thursday to Saturday, and there's even a combine demolition derby on the weekend. There will also be a parade every day.
But at it's core, Committee Chair Gord Lang says the IPM is still about plowing.
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"We have well over 100 tractor competitors and there's over 15 horse competitors and that is a big contigent," said Lang. "They haven't had that many horse competitors for quite a few years, so people are coming out of the woodwork to come here, which is really nice... There's some guys coming from overseas to plow in this competition."
Lang's father plowed in both the 1976 and 1993 matches, before eventually coaching Gord to a reserve grand champion title. Lang says he won't be partaking in the event this year, but will be following the events closely.
"The plowing is just a small part of it now, but that is how the International Plowing Match became successful. Then they decided to bring stuff out so the Rural Expo became a part of it... it's gone from being more farm to more urban. It's like everything else, it has to make money or else it can't keep moving on year to year," he said. "But it is supposed to be about the plowing. That's a hard thing to remember, some people will come out and never see the plowing."
Organizers are anticipating over 100,000 people to come through the gates over the event. Many of those guests will stay right on site, in the sprawling campground on site, which has over 500 sites equipped with power, thanks to Bruce Power and Hydro One.
Though the early forecast shows a chance of precipitation next week, the grounds are a sea of tents, with plenty of places to hide from the elements and take in more of what the IPM has to offer.
Tickets are $25 for adults (age 16 and over) and $5 for children.
To find a full schedule of events, visit here.
