Woodford resident Carmen Ward has been crowned the 2026–2027 Ontario Queen of the Furrow, receiving the honour on Friday, September 25, as the province’s plowing community gathered at the Celebration of Excellence Banquet in Mildmay to celebrate the International Plowing Match top competitors and the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Ward, 22, is a licensed funeral director from Woodford, proudly representing the Grey Normanby Plowmen’s Association. Her future plans include becoming a celebrant and operating her own in Grey County.
Claiming the provincial crown is a monumental milestone for the region. This victory marks only the fourth time in history that someone from Grey County has won the Ontario title, making it a proud historic moment for Grey County.
“The real prize of this whole journey wasn’t just the title, it was finding a home among a group of people who know that beneath the surface of farming lies a heartbeat of community,” said Ward. “Bringing this title home to Grey County fills me with a strong sense of pride.”
The provincial competition featured an incredible group of 19 young women representing counties from across Ontario:
First Runner-Up: Sidney Sicard (Grey Keppel Sarawak)
Second Runner-Up: Alexandra Carkner (Leeds)
Top Five Finalists:
Iris Perriman (Niagara North Lincoln)
Nikki Intranuovo (Peel-Dufferin)
Miss Friendship: Gracie Hoggarth (Huron)
Top Five Plowing: 1st: Sidney Sicard (Grey Keppel Sarawak), 2nd: Ashley Knapp (Frontenac), 3rd: Megan Burnside (Durham), 4th: Lauren Ross (Chatham-Kent), and 5th: Carmen Ward (Grey Normanby).
Other Outstanding Contestants: Cassie Galbraith (Bruce), Chayle Oatt (Grey North), Gabriela Kott (Haldimand), Regan Parr (Hastings), Taner Degurse (Lambton), Kelly DeBruyn (Oxford), Claire McCorkindale (Perth), Haleigh-Jo tePlate (Stormont), Rachel Tamlin (Victoria), and Brianna Wing (Wellington).
The evening also provided an opportunity for former Ontario Queens of the Furrow to return for the crowning and reconnect with the close-knit plowing community. Among them was former Ontario Queen of the Furrow Lynne (Stewart) Moore, crowned at the 1977 International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show in Frontenac County.
Moore made a special presentation to Ward in honour and tribute to Spencer and Kay Wilson of Norval. Spencer served as Moore’s plowing coach, while Kay provided invaluable support during Moore’s time as Halton County Queen of the Furrow. The Wilsons hold a foundational place in the history of the provincial program: in 1959, an address by Kay Wilson to the Ontario Plowmen’s Association convention helped inspire the creation of the Ontario Queen of the Furrow competition. More than six decades later, that tradition continues to champion young women, agriculture, and Ontario’s vibrant rural community.
As the 2026–2027 Ontario Queen of the Furrow, Ward will spend the coming year travelling throughout the province as an ambassador for Ontario agriculture and the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA), parent host of the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo.
She will also help promote the 2027 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, being held in Petrolia, Lambton County, from September 21 through September 25, 2027, where thousands of visitors will be welcomed to experience the very same magic and sense of community.
