Ag students 'get 'er going' at annual Tractor Tug for Tots

Ontario Agricultural College students competed in an annual test of strength and team work on Thursday, all while raising money for a good cause.

The annual Tractor Tug for Tots returned to the University of Guelph. Students and faculty formed teams of eight to ten people and tried to be the first to pull a full-sized tractor down Reynold’s Walk.

“Grab on and push as hard as you can. There's not a lot of art to it. It is just brute force,” Mike von Massow, a professor of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph said. “I can tell you they're heavy because I've pulled and it's a lot of work.”

“The technique is to get 'er going and get some momentum and just run,” Maria Prinzen, a first year agriculture science student said.

Despite the bragging rights for teams that win, the proceeds from the event go to a different children’s charity each year. This year, it’s raised for the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.

"We're supporting the Food and Friends program directly. This program helps keep children in the community fed with meals at school and at home," Julia Knoll said.

“We’re raising money for children, having fun and just getting together with our community,” Julianna Wilson, a first year agriculture science student said.

“[The event is] really reflective of the passion that the Aggie students here on campus have,” von Massow said.

The Student Federation of the Ontario Agricultural College has been running the pull since 2008, raising tens of thousands of dollars in the process. Last year, the event raised $13,826 for the Guelph Wish Fund for Children. This year the group aimed to raise $15,000.

“Our team’s doing pretty good. We're having lots of fun. We lost both of our rounds, but we had a lot of fun,” Wilson said.

"Most of us are Ag students. Some people just hang around with the Ag students. There's some sports teams that have people here. Everyone is welcome to join,” Prinzen said.