First Annual State of Ohio Plowing Contest – People/Events

First Annual State of Ohio Plowing Contest

by Rosie Hopkins of Lynchburg, OH

The First Annual State of Ohio Plowing Contest was held on September 17, 2003 at the Ohio Farm Science Review in London, Ohio. The plowing contest hosted some of the best plowing competitors throughout the state of Ohio. Thanks to the cooperation of the Ohio Farm Science Review and our sponsor Farm Credit Services.

This event started out from finding a World Plowing Contest ticket that was held in Peebles, Ohio in 1957 by two cousins, Dean Hopkins from Hillsboro, Ohio and Gary Hopkins from Lynchburg, Ohio. Gary, at that time, was in the FFA running a shuttle hauling people to the event. Dean was in the first grade and had stayed home from school to accompany his father to the contest. This World Plowing Contest was with farm tractors and was won by a Highland County farmer, the late Dwayne Mootz, from Hillsboro, Ohio, who was sent to Germany the following year to participate in the contest there.

Gary’s interest in horses began with saddle horses and then turned to driving when his father, Glenn, purchased a hackney pony. In the mid 70’s Glenn purchased a team of draft horses and went into farming on a small scale, which spirited Gary’s interest into farming with horses and going to local horse shows and participating in field days. Gary and his wife Judy took over the draft horses in Glenn’s later years when he slowed down and started going to parades and started a business in carriage and wagon rides.

Dean’s interest in horses came from his wife, Rosie, who was involved in 4-H with the children, showing pleasure horses and combined driving. He started driving Morgan horses, switched to Haflingers and then added draft horses. This led to starting a carriage service and a pick your own pumpkin patch where he hauled people to the patch with horses and a wagon. They also started a local driving club called the Harness and Hitch Group and hold an annual field day at their farm where anyone can come and just have fun plowing, discing, driving, etc. Dean plows at local plowing matches, and has participated the last three years in Horse Progress Days in Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. When searching on the internet for some plowing matches and in discussing it with his cousin, he came up with the idea of a state plowing match with hopes of it turning into a national plowing match, and on to a world plowing match by the year 2007 which will be 50 years from the one held in Peebles. In doing so they formed the Ohio Horse and Mule Group. They were assisted by a mutual friend, Bill Kuhnell from Westboro, Ohio. Bill has had horses all his life from saddle horses, being in 4-H, to trail riding, and now has a team of Welsh Cobs that he drives.

The three men traveled all over the state of Ohio going to the different horse groups that they could find in presenting the competition. They have talked to the groups on making their field days this year into a sanction event and all winners of these events will be the participants in next year’s 2004 Ohio State Plowing Contest. The response was overwhelming. Both Dean and Gary were keeping busy just answering the phone with questions. The event was judged by three judges, Ray Miller from Holmes County, Ohio, Jim Brown from New York, and Lloyd Kilmer from Michigan. It was judged on a point system with a possible 300 points. A contestant could use any horse drawn plow or modified tractor plow for horses, but no fore carts were allowed. They could use any type of horse, pony, or mule. Each contestant had to have one person to help with the horses but that person was not allowed to touch the plow. For walking plows and sulky plows the plots were 25 feet wide and 100 feet long, the gang plows were 25 feet wide but 150 feet long. The contestants had to throw up a headland and plow at least 2 rounds around the headland, leaving an open furrow on one side as close to the side of the plot as possible. Then they had to throw the land out on the other side of the plot, plowing the rest of the land until they left a dead furrow. They did not plow it back in.

They were judged on a scale of 1 to 10 on ten categories:

1. Depth of furrow – ½ width of mold board.
2. Straightness of furrow.
3. Headland
4. Levelness of bottom of furrow.
5. Cleanliness of sidewall of furrow.
6. Throwing out of land.
7. Straightness of ends
8. Cleanliness of dead land or dead furrow.
9. Closeness of 25’ wide on each end and center.
10. Teamstership and Sportsmanship

The classes consisted of:

1. Walking Plow
2. Sulky Plow – Team
3. Sulky Plow – 3 Horses
4. Gang Plow – 4-5-6 Horses

The contestants were required to arrive on Tuesday evening at the London Fairgrounds for a chicken barbeque, prepared by Louis Yutzy from Peebles, Ohio, and a meeting to go over the rules of the event and just to get acquainted. All contestants were required to travel in a convoy to the Farm Science Review and were escorted by the Ohio State Patrol. The Farm Science Review has an attendance over 75,000 people on any given day, so the escort was necessary to arrive all in one group.

First and second place winners received a plaque and a ribbon. With each placing thereafter receiving a ribbon.

First and Second Place winners of the 1st State of Ohio Plowing Contest 2003:

WALKING PLOW
1ST Place – Mike McCormick, Wilmington, Ohio
2nd Place – Mike Kramer, Clyde, Ohio

SULKY PLOW – 2 HORSE
1st Place – Roger Vogel, Georgetown, Ohio
2nd Place – Loren Buhro, Oak Harbor

SULKY PLOW – 3 HORSES
1st Place – Jack Parker, Lima, Ohio
2nd Place – Clinton Evans, Richmond, Ohio

GANG PLOW
1st Place – Fred Judy, Dundee, Ohio
2nd Place – Mike McCormick, Wilmington, Ohio

Tim and Tom Mootz, sons of former World Plowing Contest winner, presented Roger Vogel from Georgetown, Ohio, the high point winner, a set of double trees and neck yoke donated by Pioneer Equipment Inc. from Dalton, Ohio, and Jack Parker from Lima, Ohio, the second high point winner, a set of harness hooks donated by Yoder’s Nylon Harness Shop from Charm, Ohio.

Dean and Gary are eager to hear from other states to see if there is enough interest to put on a National Plowing Contest in the future.

Again they just want to thank the Ohio Farm Science Review and Farm Credit for sponsoring this event. And thanks to Steve Andrews, from northern Ohio for announcing, and the photographer Jeff McIntire, from Lebanon, Ohio. And all the help they received from friends to make this event possible.