Plowing Match 24: IPM Scholarships have championed youth since day one
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Seven years ago, all the way back in 2017, Huron County hosted one of the most successful International Plowing Matches in recent history. The match went ahead in Walton and, even with the cancellation of one day due to rain, it went on to make the county hundreds of thousands of dollars - all of which has been or will be redistributed throughout the county.
In the weeks following the match, tens of thousands of dollars were donated to local charities, following the wishes of various organizers and sector chairs contributing their portion of the proceeds to charities of their choice. The rest of the money, however, was held back as the seed money for the 2017 IPM Trust Fund Scholarships. And, in the years since, dozens of young people have been honoured with financial aid from the fund as they’ve continued their education - all thanks to the hard work and dedication of people like Jacquie Bishop, the chair of the 2017 International Plowing Match (IPM), held in Walton, and her many, many volunteers.
The organizers of the match stocked the fund with $250,000 of the proceeds of the match and then, in 2019, completed the first intake of winners. The idea is that that first injection of funds should last about 20-25 years, which is about the same time period between Huron County hosting IPMs. The hope, Bishop said five years ago, is that, when Huron next hosts an IPM, that fund can be restocked and the scholarships can help young people succeed in their studies in perpetuity.
The fund was formally established in February, 2019 and organizers hoped it would help cement the legacy of the 2017 IPM for years to come. In addition, they hoped it would encourage Huron County youth to engage in volunteerism and get involved in their communities. It was those qualities in Huron County residents that made the match great.
In the weeks leading up to the announcement of the Legacy Fund in 2019, which would become the 2017 IPM Trust Fund Scholarships, IPM Chair Jacquie Bishop met with Brian McGavin and Matt Townsend, both members of the match’s executive committee, to lay out the criteria for the scholarship going forward. Half of the criteria will be based on public service, volunteerism and community involvement, while the other half will pertain to the applicant’s academics.
While Bishop, McGavin and Townsend laid the foundation for the Legacy Fund and oversaw its rolling out, the plan has been to officially dissolve the 2017 IPM corporation and then hand the reins of the fund (as well as the money in the bank) to the Huron Plowmen’s Association.
Bishop says that by the time those initial scholarships have been paid out, the match will have invested over $500,000 back into Huron County. The hope, though, is that the scholarships will live on for longer than 25 years.
The executive donated $20,000 to the Huron Residential Hospice in late 2018 at an event in Brussels, followed by further $20,000 donations to Jessica’s House hospice in Exeter, the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre and the Wingham and District Hospital’s new oncology unit.
This came after the executive donated over $100,000 at the beginning of 2018 to dozens of organizations. Funds were distributed to committee chairs in $2,000 portions to each committee to be donated to local organizations. In addition, over $40,000 was donated to local service clubs that volunteered at the event.
The re-investment of over $500,000 into the community comes after the 2017 IPM was hamstrung by several inches of rain in just a few hours on its opening day and then a forced closure for its second day to allow for significant clean-up and site repairs, followed by days of unseasonable heat. However, despite those challenges, the event still welcomed over 76,000 attendees to Walton in, essentially, three days.
Bishop said that the match made over $3.8 million in total revenue and, after all of the bills were paid, she and the rest of the executive have been very pleased to be able to donate over $500,000 back to the community which supported the match so actively.
Beginning with the first recipients in 2019, the scholarships have been announced and officially awarded at the Huron County Plowing Match each year and this year will be no exception, as the funds should be handed out at Koos and Nathalie Vermue’s home farm near Bayfield during the Huron County Plowing Match, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 15 and Friday, Aug. 16.
Speaking with The Citizen, Bishop said that the organizers of the 2017 match established rather early on in the process that fostering the youth of the area and encouraging them to volunteer and flourish within their communities was going to be a priority for them. So, it was only fitting that this scholarship program be established and she says it’s been so rewarding to see so many qualified young people get a hand up from the scholarship and go on to do big things in their community and beyond.
Because of the weighting of the judging criteria and so much of it being connected to volunteerism and community involvement, Bishop says it’s not uncommon for many of the applicants to already be known to her as upstanding community members and prolific volunteers. Rewarding them for their work, she said, has been great.
For this story, Bishop detailed a number of young people who have been awarded the scholarship and have gone on to do great things, either within their communities or within their still-blossoming professional lives.
Laura Higgins, for example, a former Huron County Princess with the match and a scholarship winner, studied Political Science and has earned her Masters. She has since worked in several positions within the federal government, but has just started a new position as a policy advisor for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).
Emma Baan, originally from Walton, was also a contestant for the Princess crown and a scholarship winner and she now works within the Avon Maitland District School Board’s human resources department.
Natalie Fear, a former Princess and scholarship winner, in addition to now running the Princess competition for the Huron County Plowmen’s Association, has graduated from her post-secondary education and is now employed in the social work field.
Sean Mitchell, another scholarship winner and former Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador, is now a prolific entrepreneur and has worked extensively with the federal Liberal Party, both at the local level and in Ottawa.
Loretta Higgins, another scholarship winner and Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador, has continued working in her chosen field of agriculture, thanks in part to the scholarship win.
In fact, just last year, Doreen Taylor, the first-ever Huron County Queen of the Furrow, saw her granddaughter awarded the scholarship, which Bishop thought was a pretty neat, full-circle moment for the history of the scholarship and the Huron County Plowmen’s Association.
Bishop also shared a thank-you note from Emily Bieman, one of last year’s winners, that really encapsulates how the scholarship has been able to help young residents’ lives and make a difference in their educational journey.
“As I look back on my second year of university, I would like to thank you for supporting my academic journey through the Huron IPM 2017 scholarship. I thoroughly enjoy my program as I learn about various aspects of the agricultural industry while also exploring animal anatomy and genetics,” Bieman wrote. “As I transition into my third year of studies, I look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of animal behaviour and nutrition.
“Over the past year, I continued to be involved in my Huron County community as the webmaster for Huron County 4-H. I am happy to be able to support my home community from afar through this virtual position. I have continued to be a youth leader for my sheep and veterinary clubs as well,” she continued. “I joined the College Royal executive in a photographer role this year. I contributed to planning the event and took photos at various events during the 12 days of the College Royal.
“Your support has allowed me to be the best student and community member I can be by allowing me to prioritize my academics and community involvement. Once again, thank you for your generous support.”
This year’s scholarship winners will be honoured at the Huron County Plowing Match banquet, set to begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 at the home farm of Koos and Nathalie Vermue on Bayfield River Road.