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Dodds active in all aspects of plowing matches
DON. MAJAS PUL DODDS
Trailblazers
The first Huron County recipients of the BMO Farm Family Award was the Dodds family. The
award seeks to recognize families dedicated to Ontario agricultural sector and rural way of life.
The Dodds received the award in 2012. From left: Ron and Lynne Godkin, Maja, Paul and Don
Dodds and Joan and Brookes Prewitt. (Photo submitted)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The Dodds family of Winthrop has
been living and breathing plowing
matches for decades. As a result, the
majority of the family has received
recognition both at home and abroad
for their efforts in competitions, but
also in bringing events to life.
With an Ontario Queen of the
Furrow and a Canadian plowing
champion in the family, along with a
judge who has graded generations of
plowers, the family definitely knows
what it takes to bring together a
successful International Plowing
Match (IPM).
Patriarch and matriarch Don and
Maja Dodds live outside of
Winthrop and their involvement
started more than 50 years ago when
Don was encouraged to participate
in plowing by a teacher at school and
local plowing champion Gordon
McGavin.
He first attended the International
Plowing Match in 1954 and Don
said that things were a bit different
then than they are now.
"Now, you load up and drive to
where the IPM is, but then you
drove the tractor to the site," he said.
"At the time, I was driving a
Case tractor that could go 14
miles per hour. I drove to Carlow
A memorable moment
Paul Dodds has earned accolades for his plowing prowess
both in Huron County and across the country, but one of his
most memorable moments was plowing in France for the
2014 World Plowing Competition. (Photo submitted)
and Cranbrook for competitions."
Don was also invovled in 4-H
from a young age, having recently
being recognized as a leader of the
organization for 50 years.
When Don went to school, he
hung up his little book of
measurements and didn't come back
to competitive plowing until it was
time for his children to get involved.
Don and Maja have three children:
Lynne Godkin, Paul Dodds and Joan
Prewitt. Paul is a well-known plower
in the area, having travelled to
France to compete in the world
competition several years ago and
Lynne is one of five women from
Huron County who have claimed the
title, crown and sash of Ontario
Queen of the Furrow.
When Paul starting plowing, Don
started judging and the two of them
have travelled around the world as a
result of it.
While Maja jokes that she got
involved in plowing because of Don,
she has been significantly involved
in the Queen of the Furrow program
since Lynne first competed in the
early 1980s.
She first attended the International
Plowing Match in 1966, and jokes
that was Paul's first trip, as she was
pregnant at the time.
"Lynne stayed home, so, I guess,
Paul got to go to one before she did,"
she said with a laugh. "I worked in a
church booth there."
Beyond attending the events, Maja
said she wasn't really involved in
plowing matches until 1999 when
she and Don managed land use for
the 1999 IPM, called "The Dust
Match, near Dashwood.
"We were there the whole week,"
Don said. "We signed the leases and
worked with the people to make sure
the land was available for the event."
The couple say that experience
was a real eye-opener for them.
Having originally planned to talk to
potential landowners for less than an
hour, they soon found that three
hours was a more likely timetable
and, aside from collecting the
necessary leases to use the land for
the event, they also made new
friends.
"We had a good time with them,"
Maja said. "The IPM is a good thing
because of that. You make a lot of
friends and you get to see them
whenever you go."
It wasn't long after the Dashwood
IPM that Maja signed on as secretary
for the Huron County Plowman's
Association, a position she has held
ever since.
As for this year's International
Plowing Match in Walton, just a
short drive from the Dodds family
farm, Don will be judging, but
beyond that he, as a senator with
several other experienced plowmen
and organizers, and Maja will be
offering their expertise wherever
needed.
Maja said she would help Don
with judging by being in the field
with him, but also said she plans to
help put together the Huron County
Plowmen's Association historical
display in the Ontario Plowing
Association tent in tented city.
"We've got two hands and two
feet, so we can help out," she said.
When it comes to judging, Don
said there is only one thing he
doesn't want to do and that is judge
Paul.
"We never know what we're going
to judge," he said. "Monday is
judging school at the IPM, then we
have dinner then we get the
assignments."
He said he wants to avoid judging
Paul, but it's been difficult since Paul
has been plowing in the senior
competition for many years.
Up to now, Don has been helping
out by selling benches. The benches,
which are made by local high school
students, are both a fundraiser for
the IPM and a keepsake for those
who want to mark the year the IPM
came back to Huron County.
Paul will be working with Jeff
McGavin to prepare plowing land,
something he knows a thing or two
about.
In 1986 and 1987, Paul competed
at the Canadian Junior
Continued on page 9
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