It’s going to take time for the cattle show at Ag Ex to get back to where it was pre-COVID-19, according to cattle show and fair committee co-chair Dallas Johnston.
He added organizers have had nothing to complain about when it comes to the quality of competition.
“We’re down quite a few head, but I knew we would be down some with the regulations,” he said.
Entrants and visitors to Ag Ex were required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
The five-day Ag Ex marks the return of in-person, large-scale ag fairs hosted by the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Oct. 26-30 marked the first major in-person ag fair on Brandon’s Keystone Centre grounds in almost two years.
“I think it’s been more than a successful event,” exhibition president Greg Crisanti said.
Attendees have been “very appreciative to be back to some sort of normal live activity,” he added, noting that the show has pursued as many safety protocols as possible, “so it doesn’t jeopardize future events.”
The exhibition typically hosts three such large-scale fairs annually.
The returned Ag Ex featured a pared-down schedule this year. The cattle show — always a major draw for the fair, with at least one national breed show typically making an appearance — this year became the fair’s headline event, along with long-delayed celebration of BMO Farm Family Award recipients from the last two years.
Absent from the schedule were some usual hallmarks, such as rodeo.
This year, national breed shows will also collectively be hosted by Regina’s Western Canadian Agribition, in recognition of that show’s 50th anniversary, Johnston said, something he admits did not help entry numbers.
One of the first such events to be put on since regulations on group sizes began to relax, Ag Ex is also “the guinea pig” for upcoming events, he noted.
Johnston estimates that Ag Ex 2021 saw at least 100 head less than the last time the event was held.
In particular, he noted, Angus show numbers have taken a hit, largely due to the loss of a few major breeders that typically attend. Despite being smaller, however, he argued that the quality of cattle was probably, “our best show in years.”
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Other herds, like the relatively new Speckle Park breed, saw good turnouts, he said. In 2018, when the breed made its Ag Ex debut, the competitor list showed about 19 head, compared to 30 head this year.
Outside of the pandemic, Johnston noted that the drought may also have affected participation, with so many producers in Manitoba hard up for feed and water throughout the season.
“Showing cattle wasn’t at the top of their priority list,” he said.
The total entry numbers are much the same as what the exhibition would have expected several years ago, before the buildup of popularity Ag Ex enjoyed in recent years.
Finances
The return of in-person ag fairs is “a weight off our shoulders,” Crisanti said.
The exhibition typically drew most of its income from its three flagship fairs prior to the pandemic. The onset of COVID-19 saw the exhibition take serious financial hits, despite a string of smaller fundraisers meant to close the gap.
Attention now turns to the organization’s next fair. Committees are well underway for the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, slated to take off in March 2022, Crisanti said.
“An event of that calibre and that size, we need to start planning well in advance,” he said.
“Obviously it’s going to be different with protocols and stuff in place, but we’re definitely plugging forward and can’t wait to see everybody out,” he added.
