Mackenzie Terpstra crowned Huron County Queen of the Furrow
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
One of the most exciting traditions at the annual Huron County Plowing Match is the Queen of the Furrow (QotF) competition, which pits agriculturally-minded local women against each other in an all-day pentathlon consisting of interviews, public speaking, impromptu questions, plowing and cake decorating.
At last Friday’s match, five impressive young people competed for a chance to represent Huron County’s agricultural interests, but only one emerged victorious: 22-year-old Mackenzie Terpstra. The new Queen demonstrated her benevolence to The Citizen by holding court at her family’s swine farm for a quick chat about how it feels to be Huron County’s newest agricultural advocate.
She was crowned at the banquet by the 2023 Queen, Rachel Gras. The two Queens have a few things in common: they both attend the University of Guelph, and they were also in 4-H together. Terpstra was very impressed with Gras’ high-energy reign. “I think she was a great Queen of the Furrow,” said Terpstra. “She’s a very bubbly and energetic person and she likes to talk to people.” The new Queen may be a bit more introspective than her high-octane predecessor, but her passion for farming runs deep. She answers questions deliberately, never feels the need to rush, and understands how important it is to advocate for farming. “Agriculture is important because it’s how we feed the world. Without it, we would all perish,” she explained. “Agriculture has been, and always will be, the future of human beings.”
The newly-crowned Queen feels lucky to be born into a farming family in Huron County. “I really like the community that Huron County has, and I also really love its agriculture. I think Huron County has one of the most unique agricultural qualities, compared to other counties. As you get out of Huron County and go more north, you get some rocky ground - not a whole lot of tillage... Huron County pretty much has it all - pigs, beef, corn, soybeans. It’s got whatever you can think of.”
Terpstra is the second of 12 children, and has spent most of her life on the farm, tending to the pigs and helping to maintain the homestead. She is about to begin her fifth year of university, and plans to pursue a career in agriculture after that. While each of the contestants brought a unique perspective to the competition on Friday, it was Terpstra’s thoughtful speech on the artistry of farming that most impressed the judges. She also displayed some real plowing prowess out in the field. Despite having everything one needs to be Queen, the win took Terpstra by surprise. “Up on the stage, I was actually preparing to congratulate someone else,” she admitted. Her money had been on fellow swine-enthusiast Brooklyn Hendriks to take the crown. “She had a really good speech, and I just didn’t think it was going to be my year... I was a bit surprised when they called my name, but I’m looking forward to this year and what it has to offer me,” she reflected.
Terpstra has definitely led a pork-centric life up to this point, and the experience has given her a real appreciation for nature’s organizational skills. “Pigs are very predictable,” she explained. “They run a very scheduled lifestyle. For example, a sow has a gestation period of 114 days, which is easy to remember - three months, three weeks, three days. They always farrow within that 114 days - maybe one or two less, maybe one or two more. Then it’s usually 18 to 21 days before they’re weaned, and then six months from birth to maturity. Then they’re off to the butchers. It’s a very scheduled timeline. I actually kind of like that about pigs.”
Terpstra has participated in both the Queen and the Princess competitions several times and has found them to be worthwhile experiences. “Even though it can be a little nerve-wracking, I really enjoy it. Especially after the speeches - getting to do all the little fun activities with the other girls kind of takes the stress off of what’s happening. You can just have fun at the event, and meet some new faces... it definitely sounds intimidating and scary - I know when I first got asked to participate I was like, ‘uhhh ok, but I’m not good at any of this,’ - but I just went for it, and kind of sucked at it the first time.” She still had fun meeting the other girls and competing, so she just kept going. “Seeing how happy the girls were who won, I thought I’d like that to be me someday.”
Now that her someday has arrived, Terpstra is looking forward to going to other plowing matches and being in parades as a representative for Huron County farmers. After her win, Terpstra jumped right into her regal new role by travelling to the nearby Bayfield Fair, where she and Jillian Simpson, winner of this year’s Princess competition, received a warm welcome from fairgoers. “I’m not really sure what I expected, but everyone waved and [was] happy to see the both of us - it was actually quite fun,” said Terpstra.
In her winning speech, she compared farming to creating art, saying that “a painter with an empty canvas has the potential to be anything. With each brushstroke, the painter brings life and colour to their imagination. A plowman with a plot of land has the potential to grow vegetation with each run up and down the field, with the furrow creating that perfect soil profile…. Technology has advanced drastically, and changed how we farm over the past 100 years to make tasks easier and more efficient, which is great! But it’s easy to get caught up in life’s events, which makes today all the more special, because we get to be a part of history.”