The International Plowing Match (IPM), held annually in Ontario, is North America's largest[1] outdoor agricultural and rural expo.
Each International Plowing Match takes years of planning[3] and months of labour to prepare.
[6] Held at Sunnybrook farm near Toronto, the event featured as entries 31 single-furrow horse-drawn plows with no classes dedicated to tractors.
Plowing is "judged for straightness, firmness, evenness, depth, shape and uniformity.
A good plowed furrow must be straight with a smooth trough and clean, even sides.
Between streets run service roads which vehicles with a red parking pass can drive through.
Service roads also have hydro poles to provide power to the city, and give exhibitors more access to their site.
Tent City continues to grow each year, and its land area is approximately 100 acres.
The RV park is an optional place for visitors to stay overnight if they plan to attend the IPM for more than one day.
The RV park often takes up the same land area as Tent City, and occasionally has been bigger.
Many political figures in the Canadian Government have made visits to the International Plowing Match.
Due to its importance in rural Ontario, the legislature suspends sitting for two days so all party leaders can attend the IPM.
Also attending were Ontario Minister of Agriculture Dennis Timbrell, various local MPs, and the regional chair.
[9] A 60 foot long corn mural, created for the 1979 Chatham-Kent IPM, was inadvertently destroyed in 2013.
[21] The 1966 match near Seaforth was famous for mud, as torrential rains and high winds lashed the site.