Community comes together to celebrate competitive plowman Daryl Hostrawser

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Peel Dufferin Plowmen's Association hosted a fundraising event to both celebrate and support Daryl Hostrawser, accomplished competitive plowman.

Hostrawser just came back from representing Canada at the 70th World Ploughing Championship in Prague, Czech Republic, in September.

Part of the fundraising celebration was to help provide financial support to offset costs from this year's journey.

The celebration honoured Hostrawser's decades-long plowing career; the second-generation plowman is from East Garafraxa in Dufferin County.

He has competed in various plowing competitions, from local competitions to the World Championships.

He has previously competed on the world stage as the Canadian champion at the 1988 event in the United States of America, in Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and the Republic of Ireland.

The community was invited to join in the celebration with Hostrawser and the Peel Dufferin Plowmen's Association at the Orangeville Fairgrounds.

Hostrawser it was “overwhelming” to see that kind of support at the event.

During the celebration, Peel Dufferin Plowmen's Association President Glen Early interviewed Hostrawser in a “fireside” type conversation to discuss his career.

Hostrawser was able to look back over his various competitions, including his most recent one, and says the conversation brought up “little things” he hadn't thought of in a while.

“There's a group of us that started plowing when we were quite young, and we've grown up entering the same classes, getting into class five, which is Ontario Championship, fully with the thought that we could go to the Canadian, to the worlds, that's our objective,” said Hostrawser.

“I'm not the only one that's done this.” 

He added that, although he joked at the event that he's never met a judge he liked, Ontario has a very good set of judges who work quite well together.

The Worlds, he said, are always a chance to learn little by little, such as when the Worlds required countries to use a rollover plow in 2003.

“We started sending plowmen and at that time, we had never even seen one before,” said Hostrawser. “We've been learning since.”

“A small group, and we've got to pass it on and try and get plowmen and judges to recognize it.”

Hostrawser said he's already looking forward to next year, when he will be accompanying Conventional Plowmen Brian Davenport, and he says they've already started to prepare for it.

Early said that on the day, it was nice to see the room filled with Hostrawser's competitive peers from the international Plowing match level, the Canadian level, and the World level.

“It's good to see that plowing community come out and celebrate one of their own,” he said.

The room was filled with past and present Plowmen Association members and there was great conversation all around.

He added that it was also great that the community came out to support the fundraiser, with an almost entirely filled room.

“It went off really without a hitch,” said Early.

During the silent auction, a local farming family donated an old horse-drawn walking plow to help fund the fundraiser.

Early said his “fireplace chat” with Hostrawser brought back memories for many people in the crowd and on stage.

Anne Thompson of the Plowmen's Association, added “when something or someone is in your own backyard, you don't always get a sense of the type of scope or impact that they've had, but Daryl in the competitive plowing world really has a unique and unmatched record.”

Not only has he competed as their Canadian champion over several decades in two separate divisions, she said, but he also has coached on various teams and locally.

Thompson said that as he has attended his last Worlds, it seemed like a great time to recognize his career and help with the accumulated expenses, which she says Hostrawser is far too humble to ever ask for.

She added that they're representing the Country oftentimes with very little sponsorship, and Thompson says that as events change and grow and costs rise, it's important to raise awareness.

The day was one filled with fun and good energy, she concluded.

At the end of the event, they opened the floor for attendees to share stories and anecdotes about Hostrawser.

Hostrawser spoke on attending plowing matches with his father, who plowed with 1961 World Champion Bill Dixon, who was in the audience that day.

Thompson said that watching Hostrawser speak about this decades-long legacy in front of their own young plowmen was a great sight.

When Hostrawser made his first appearance at the World Match in 1988, he became the second generation of his family to do so, following in his father's footsteps.

As the community celebrates Hostrawser's numerous accomplishments and records, they look forward to continuing to share this legacy for years to come.