Manitoba Ag Days is celebrating the Prairies, and specifically the products produced here, during the 2024 event slated for Brandon’s Keystone Centre Jan. 16-18.
The 47th edition of the event that began as a one-day weed fair will showcase the products and technology that result from the ingenuity and industry of the agriculture sector and its suppliers.
“There are so many things produced on the Prairies,” says Teresa Vallotton, Manitoba Ag Days media coordinator.
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“We produce equipment, we produce food — the ingredients or the final product — but what doesn’t always come to mind are things like opportunities, technology, and our sense of community. We wanted to make sure that we included all of those aspects.”
One thing the Prairies typically produce is a January deep freeze when temperatures can sit well below freezing and the sun produces its sundog halo in the crisp crystalline air outside. With last year’s harvest buttoned up and next year’s seeding looming, a Prairie winter provides an opportunity to get together, trade ideas and plan the next season while the land sleeps.
“It’s really important to get together in the winter to set the tone for the upcoming growing season and this is a fantastic way for producers and ag businesses to connect,” Vallotton said. “You only get so many chances to start the season so you want to use your winter to put yourself in the position to be most likely to succeed next year.”
That success starts with information, another commodity produced on the Prairies, and what better place to find it than under the 12-acre Keystone Centre, featuring 550 exhibitors, 63 speakers and the Innovation Showcase with 32 new entrants.
The show officially begins with the traditional Tuesday breakfast but first there’s a craft beer show and tasting on Monday evening.
“Craft beer certainly fits under the umbrella of Produced on the Prairies,” Vallotton said.
The annual breakfast has a new location this year at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Building, affectionally known as the “dome building” across from Keystone Centre, from 7 to 8:45 a.m.
Speakers this year will discuss a range of topics from geopolitics to succession planning through to technology and agronomy.
“David Frum will be a speaker this year and he’ll be commenting on Tuesday afternoon,” Vallotton said. “And then we have Jim Carroll on AI and agriculture. His subtitle is ‘Transforming the World’s Oldest Profession,’ and that’s Wednesday afternoon.”
The two theatres at the Keystone Centre will host all presentations, with the Manitoba Canola Growers Association program at the FCC theatre running concurrently with Let’s Talk Agronomy at the MNP theatre on Tuesday morning.
Alfred Lea of the Native Canadian Chip Corporation will about Tomahawk Chips. Based in Riverton, Tomahawk Chips are sold by major retailers throughout Canada and the U.S. with plans to market internationally.
Graham Sherman of Calgary will talk about The Tool Shed Brewing Company, a craft beer brewery he co-founded with a friend in the military. Together they followed a passion for home brewing and developed a brand that sells in over 1,000 outlets.
Other topics include crop agronomy, livestock and machinery.
Brianne Tidemann, a research scientist with the federal agriculture department, will outline weed management strategies, and there will be a full afternoon of livestock programming, including calving season tips and tricks. On Thursday, Scott Fairburn of Case IH will talk about using farmer input to design and develop better farm equipment.
“They are co-creating new equipment with farmers because that’s mutually beneficial,” Vallotton said. “Farmers get what they’re requesting and the company gets better adoption.”
Between theatre presentations, visitors can stroll through the exhibition halls and connect with vendors.
Exhibitors are sorted into 58 categories. The big companies such as Bayer, Bunge and Cargill will be there, along with many others ranging from aerial photographers to welders.
“It’s a fantastic way for connections between producers and ag businesses or ag adjacent businesses,” Vallotton said. “All of that makes it a better, a stronger, more agile, more adaptable industry.”
The Ag Days Innovation awards return, with 32 recognized innovators competing for this year’s prizes.
“Same categories as last year,” Vallotton said. “There’s animal and livestock, agribusiness, agricultural equipment, ag technology, farm built solutions, and then farm safety, and agronomics.”
These awards are always popular, especially the ‘On Farm Solution’ category. Visitors may walk among the competitors and see the technology they developed to solve this year’s problems. They can see new ways to hang livestock gates, simple devices for keeping air brake lines from freezing, as well as new and innovative machines for crop sampling and for better and safer pesticide mixing.
On Tuesday the annual Ag Days Gives Back grants will be awarded. There are a series of community grants as well as scholarships for agricultural education.
“Ag Days Gives Back is our great intangible,” Vallotton said. “The show itself is three days of the year but Ag Days Gives Back helps the show live on in communities across the whole province over the whole year through the support of the show and the 50/50 draw.”
Last year community grants helped volunteer fire departments buy equipment or training. This year the grant is for community improvement. There is an application process that gives details on what the grant would be used for as well as an endorsement from a local producer.
Grants are spread over four regions, northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast.
“We were able to increase the dollar amount of scholarships that we’re offering and open that eligibility up to anyone that is taking any sort of education or training related to agriculture,” Vallotton said. “We want to be reinvesting in ag education and so that we can continue to be a strong industry.”
For more information on hours, admission rates and tickets visit the “visitors” menu on the Ag Days Website. Look for “Visitor Information” and “Know Before You Go.”
