One last spin around the square: Team Farmall returns for their last shows at the IPM this month
By Mel Luymes
When the International Plowing Match was held at Wayne and Wendy McKague’s farm near Teeswater back in 2008, a dozen daring neighbours pulled off a one-of-a-kind show. Attendees were treated to square dancing tractors!
On the dirt dancefloor were eight shiny Farmall tractors that turn on a dime. Drivers perched high on their seats worked with complete focus: clutching, shifting, and cranking the wheel in a flurry of dust, gas fumes, and fiddle music. In perfect configuration, they were spinning around their partners, driving in circles, meeting in the middle before reversing to their corners, weaving between each other and giving high fives.
It is hard to imagine the precision, the speed and the smiles of a Team Farmall show. It can only be experienced. And this month might be your last chance to see them at the IPM in Bruce County.
The Rural Voice caught up with Team Farmall after a regular practice at Albadon Farms. The group has been back together practicing once a week since March, moving to twice a week since June.
It all started in 2006, when Steve Donaldson, who was working for a Case IH dealer, happened upon a small blurb in one of their magazines about a team of square dancing tractors from Nemaha, Iowa. He ordered a DVD of their performance and was blown away. He played it for his snowmobiling buddies (Mark Ireland, Wilf Baks and George Fischer) and asked them if they thought they could pull it off for the IPM.
They thought it would be a fun challenge and recruited four more of their friends and family (Doug Ireland, Ben Ireland, Donnie Baks and Bruce Bates) to join. Word got around about what they were scheming, and Steve remembers when a 20-year-old Blair Scott called him, asking if he and his three friends (Jamie Gowland, Jake Gowland and Bryan McKague) could contribute. That made the team of 12 drivers.
Roy Pennington (1939-2006) was also involved in the very early days, and with plenty of square dancing and calling experience, he was excited to be a caller. Sadly, he passed away before the team ever got going.
They found two callers to fill Roy’s shoes: Lisa Thompson, who also had plenty of square dancing experience, and Tammy Fischer, George’s then 19-year-old daughter who agreed to help.
They practiced for well over a year – two times a week for a total of 3,500 man hours – in the snow, rain, and heat. But by August 2008, Steve admits that they still couldn’t do the dances. There had been so much media hype, and he was worried they wouldn’t be able to deliver.
“But one August evening at practice, we finally clicked,” he said. They went on to do a performance for the Teeswater Fair a week later. They admit it wasn’t their best show, but it was good to get some practice in front of an audience.
By September 2008, they were ready for the IPM.
To add to the hilarity of the show, half of the men – those driving the smaller tractors – were dressed as women, in a skirt and wig. They and their partner dressed in matching colours. There was Donnie Baks and his dancing partner, Wilf (Wilhelmina) Baks in purple, with Steve (Stephanie) Donaldson and Mark Ireland in red, for example. There was also George (Georgina) Fischer, Doug Ireland, Jamie (Jamie Lynne) Gowland, Blair Scott, Ben (Benjalina) Ireland, Bruce Bates, Bryan (Brianna) McKague and Jake Gowland.
Steve recalls that a neighbour made up a wool-filled bra for him to wear as Stephanie, and that Brianna wore balloons that inevitably popped by the end of each show.
While the team consisted of 12 drivers and two callers, there were only eight drivers and one caller per show, swapping off for various performances. The men drove four Farmall H tractors, and the “women” operated four smaller Farmall Cs, which are a bit easier to drive. There was one of each waiting in the wings in case of a wee disaster.
McCormick-Deering Farmall tractors were first built by International Harvester’s engineer Bert R. Benjamin and introduced in 1923 as a row crop tractor that replaced horses and revolutionized agriculture. The Farmall C tractors (2,800 lbs) were built between 1948 and 1951 and were more commonly used for tobacco farming on Ontario’s sand plains. The larger Farmall H (3,800 lbs) were manufactured between 1939-1953 and would have been more commonly used in the Bruce County area.
Each of the drivers purchased and restored an antique for the show. Jake restored his tractor as a 4-H project and Mark’s was just sitting in the corner of his shed. It had been purchased in 1940 by the Ireland family and was the first tractor he ever drove. He only needed to replace a battery and the old Farmall was good to go.
Needless to say, the boogying tractors were a hit at the 2008 IPM. The team did three performances a day and, every time, the IPM’s Tented City would empty out, with thousands of attendees flocking to the grandstands to catch the shows. Even the Premier of Ontario attended back in 2008.
Team Farmall was booked to perform at plowing matches and other events for years after that. It took a lot of their time in the early years, so they had to slow down. One of the most memorable IPMs was 2010 in St. Thomas, when caller Tammy Fischer also won the Ontario Queen of the Furrow competition. That was also the year they had Rick Mercer driving with them and appeared on the TV show, Rick Mercer Report.
The team appeared in many local parades over the years. Steve remembers a Christmas parade in Teeswater when 10 of their Farmall tractors were chained together pulling Santa Claus, but the street was pure ice and hilarity ensued.
Team Farmall also fondly remembers performing for a few years at Steve Plunkett’s Fleetwood Country Cruize-In car show and fundraiser in London, especially in 2011, when they were featured alongside the Beach Boys.
They had jackets made for the team and became celebrities at the shows, with people coming up after the performance to see the tractors and get team members’ autographs. They even sold Team Farmall stickers, t-shirts, hats and DVDs.
While Team Farmall has stayed much the same over the years, Lisa Thompson stepped back from calling in 2011 after she was elected Huron—Bruce MPP, though she has stayed on as a coach. Adam Ireland – Mark’s son – started driving in the team in 2015 when Steve had some health issues and stayed on permanently.
They last performed at the Teeswater-Culross Reunion in 2019. They said it would be their final dance, but with Bruce County hosting the IPM again in 2026, Blair convinced them all to get back in the seat for one last hurrah.
“It was like a Batman signal in the sky, but it was a Farmall logo,” jokes Adam.
The team is all laughs after practice. The Irelands’ yard has been worn by countless hours of practice, spinning tires, and calcium applications to keep the dust down. Their shed has also hosted countless social hours following practices.
“Have you ever seen that movie, Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican bobsled team?” asks Doug. “Well, we are like that. We’re all athletes, in disguise.”
They became a family, they all agreed. After years of being on the road, camping and performing together, they grew close. They went through life’s ups and downs. They saw the younger team members get married; they welcomed children and grandchildren. They went on two winter vacations to beach resorts together as well.
“The biggest remuneration over the years was the amount of fun everybody had,” said Lisa.
And they also said a tearful goodbye to Bruce Bates (1946–2024) when he passed away, and organized a procession of Farmall tractors for his funeral. The team spoke so fondly of Bruce. He was quiet, focused and one of the best drivers on the team.
Bruce’s Farmall will be driven by his son Ryan for the 2026 IPM.
Mac Ireland – Adam’s son – is another addition to the 2026 line-up. Nineteen-year-old Mac was born the year that Team Farmall began and grew up on the farm where they practiced. Every Friday night, he would look forward to seeing the red tractors drive up the laneway.
Mac is currently working at Sprucedale Agromart and makes time for practices twice a week. He had never square danced before and says it has been challenging to learn the moves, but that he is enjoying the time spent with his father and grandfather, along with the rest of the team.
For this year’s IPM, Team Farmall is practicing some traditional and fusion dances for their 30-minute set. They will be performing Texas Star, Chase the Lady, Forward Four in Line, the Teeswater Twist and more. They also have a new caller this year: Rachel Anstett, the 2012-2013 Bruce County Queen of the Furrow.
Rachel has seen a great improvement since they started practicing back in the winter and says they are just about ready to perform for September.
“We’ve knocked all the rust off,” they say.
But speaking of knocking, how often are there collisions? The tractors drive extremely close to each other, aiming for their tires to be touching, so there are bound to be some incidents.
While they have plenty of run-ins during practice, they haven’t had any major issues at a show, except for the time that Bryan (Brianna)’s front wheel came off and rolled across the grounds during the IPM’s first performance back in 2008. He didn’t miss a beat, hopping onto the other Farmall C that was waiting in the wings for just such an occasion.
“Every practice, every show,” says Adam, “Bryan will trade paint with someone else.” The team describes him as a wildcard, always keeping them on their toes.
“Some have called it a kamikaze performance,” says Jamie. Even a bull-rider from one of the IPMs said they were all crazy.
And their resident mechanic – Doug Ireland of Teeswater Agro Parts – is always there to straighten things up on the go. But besides keeping them shiny, the antique tractors require little maintenance.
With busy schedules, the team says this might be the last performance they do.
“Well, never say never,” Lisa smiles.
Whether this truly is Team Farmall's final dance remains to be seen. But if this really is the last time these antique tractors take to the dance arena together, it promises to be a fitting finale, filled with music, laughter, remarkable driving, and plenty of Bruce County pride.
Team Farmall will be all smiles for spectators at the 2026 IPM near Walkerton, September 22-26, with a show every morning and afternoon.◊