Brigden Fair board 'a bit in limbo' over 2027 International Plowing Match

The president of the Moore Agricultural Society, owners of the Brigden fairgrounds, says the fair board is waiting for clarity about the 2027 International Plowing Match and Farm Expo. “We’re a bit in limbo . . . not knowing exactly what’s going on,” John Scott, president of the Moore Agricultural Society, said Saturday. Lambton County [...]

Article content The president of the Moore Agricultural Society, owners of the Brigden fairgrounds, says the fair board is waiting for clarity about the 2027 International Plowing Match and Farm Expo. “We’re a bit in limbo . . . not knowing exactly what’s going on,” John Scott, president of the Moore Agricultural Society, said Saturday.

Recommended Videos Lambton County was awarded the 2027 plowing match in April 2025 by the Ontario Plowmen’s Association with plans for the event to be held at and near the Bridgen Fairgrounds, but on July 3, a local committee that has been putting plans in place and recruiting volunteers issued a statement saying it was withdrawing. That same evening the provincial association said in a news release, “Plans remain that the 2027 IPM will be centred on the Moore Agricultural Society’s Brigden fairgrounds.” The plowing competition and rural exposition is hosted annually by communities around the province, attracting thousands of visitors during several days.

Lambton held the match in 1923, 1973 and most recently in 1991 in Enniskillen Township, near Petrolia. The provincial association followed up with a July 8 news release saying it was “fully committed to hosting the 2027 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in Lambton County.” The following day, the 2027 International Plowing Match local committee issued a statement by Douglas Beatty, a volunteer, saying its July 3 news release “incorrectly indicated that the 2027 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo would not be held in Lambton.”

“The situation is that some members of the IPM local committee have ceased to be involved in preparations for the match,” Beatty said in the release. “We apologize for any inconvenience which our error may have caused.” The provincial association has said it plans to meet in the coming weeks with stakeholders in the 2027 event, including the local committee, sponsors, partners “and the broader community to determine a way forward.”

“We have only had a little bit of contact with the Ontario Plowmen’s Association,” Scott said. “They have stated that they still want to have a function in Lambton County but, to my understanding, I don’t know who the local association or group, or whatever you may want to call them, who it is,” Scott said. The fair board’s role with the match will be to rent its facilities to the organizers, he said.

“We’re kind of sitting in the shadows and waiting to see and hear what’s going to develop out of this,” Scott said. The Brigden Fair, the largest of Lambton County’s fall fair, celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2025. The fair is held annually on Thanksgiving weekend and typically attracts 45,000 visitors or more.