A show like Manitoba Ag Days is a true melting pot of the industry — producers, agriculture groups, established businesses and entrepreneurs all file into the city of Brandon at the end of January to connect and converse.
For businesses, it’s an opportunity to gain exposure and for new customers to find their products while also reconnecting with previous customers.
WHY IT MATTERS: Every year, Brandon, Man., welcomes Canada’s largest indoor farmshow. The next Manitoba Ag Days takes place Jan. 20-22, 2026.
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This year will mark Devloo Roto Mud Scrapers 14th year at the show, and it’s always worthwhile for them.
“The biggest thing is getting out there and people are seeing you,” said Mark Devloo, president and chief executive officer of the company. “We do a draw that is involved with the business itself, not just a free tool or that kind of thing, which gives us a lot of meaning for potential customers.”
The manufacturing company creates a self-propelled rotating mud scraper, which prevents the build-up of mud on packer wheels. The attachment assists in maintaining a consistent seed depth.
The Devloo booth is always a family affair, having other family members help work it and answer questions. It’s an indication of their company growth, which was started by an idea of Devloo’s father, Gerald.
They’ve enjoyed Ag Days for the locality of the show, as they’re based in Lorne, Man., making it a natural choice to promote the business.
Devloo explained that even after consistently being at the show since 2012, they still encounter new people who haven’t heard of the attachment.
“We get some sales that are hot takers, and then a lot of people just want to think about it for a while,” he said. “Then we’ll follow up, we get some of our sales on the follow ups from the trade shows.”
Engagement igniter
Chris Raupers, co-owner of Engrained Flour Co. (and of Cardale Tech Corp.), was also surprised at the effect Ag Days can have on a business.
While he’s no stranger to the show, having run the Cardale Tech Corp. booth alongside his brother for over 10 years, last year he and his wife, Lindsey, had their Ag Days debut for Engrained Flour Co. — and they went off with a bang.
The Newdale-based company grows, mills, and packages flour then sells retail packages in stores across Manitoba, with national distribution through online ordering, and also provides bulk packages to bakeries and the like.
At the 2025 show, the Rauperses sat on the Produced on the Prairies panel and the same day they had a booth in the Produced on the Prairies Market — a luck of the draw, as tables for the market are set up for only one of the three days.
“Immediately after the panel, there was a huge influx of people at our booth,” Raupers said. “And also the communication exchange after Ag Days was quite tremendous. So people emailing us, asking questions, having a conversation about the product, ordering product. It definitely skyrocketed for probably two to three weeks after the show.”
Many of those conversations led to sales, and in some cases new consistent customers.
It was unexpected for Engrained Flour Co., especially with it being their first year, but he hopes that the exposure and growth will continue this year.
“It was a big impact last year, I can’t put a number on it, it was certainly an increase in sales and new customers,” he added. “We’re growing slowly every year, and so I’m sure that that was part of Ag Days.”
These displays of ingenuity and recognition of impact to a business was recently identified by Farm Shop Connect, a company from Treherne, which is launching their farm management app at the show.
It’s a platform to record farm machinery service records and assign and record tasks on the farm. Their goal is to help farmers simplify their daily operations and more effectively keep records.
“As a new company, we’re really looking forward to talking directly with growers,” said Brody Robertson, co-owner. “Those conversations will help us understand what tools they need to manage equipment maintenance and on-farm tasks more efficiently.
While at the show, they’ll be sharing how the app works and noting producer feedback.
“Our goal this year is to build awareness and start meaningful relationships,” he added. “Even a handful of good connections can make a big difference for a young tech company like ours.”
Agriculture groups
A large portion of the connection at shows is producers to businesses, but just as noteworthy is that of agriculture groups that represent farmers.
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is one of the groups that utilize the show as a chance to speak with producers one-on-one.
“Our directors get to update on the various activities MBP undertakes all year long,” said Carson Callum, MBP general manager. “But most importantly, we can hear from visitors in an informal manner about the issues that are important to them.”
MBP is also collaborating with Agriculture in the Classroom, with the career Plinko game making a return. It’s used to to initiate conversations about careers in the cattle industry with young attendees.
For Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), Ag Days is a key engagement point as it’s not long before their annual general meeting. So it offers chances for KAP to learn producer concerns, and for producers to share them, before the formal AGM setting.
“Ag days for us is probably the best time of the year where a good chunk of farmers in Manitoba and our members are in one place so we can engage with them,” said Colin Hornby, KAP general manager.
Hornby expects that the hot topics this year will be cost pressures, market troubles and trade. He said Ag Days is a great opportunity for those kinds of topics because it’s not just KAP at the show, elected officials and ministers from the federal and provincial governments are often also in attendance.
They will once again have two booths, with one for general farm topics and the other for farm safety with a farm safety consultant available to speak with.
“A benefit for us is that we’re able to provide a place where farmers already are,” Hornby said. “So they don’t have to go out of their way to engage with us. So if they see us, they can come to us and bring an issue to us. So it’s a benefit for us, but it’s also benefit to them.”
For show coverage, previews, video and more, check out the Manitoba Co-operator’s Ag Days landing page.
