Young people are going to have their turn on the stage at this year’s Manitoba Ag Days.
The Manitoba Young Speakers for Agriculture event is scheduled to help kick off the three-day farm show — Canada’s largest such indoor event — in Brandon.
WHY IT MATTERS: Manitoba’s farm sector is in the final countdown to Manitoba Ag Days, scheduled to take over Brandon’s Keystone Centre Jan. 20-22, 2026.
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Manitoba Young Speakers for Agriculture participants will be the first at the podium Jan. 20 in the MNP Theatre, part of the farm show’s packed speaking lineup. For those not at the show Jan. 20, speeches can be livestreamed.
The program is new to the Ag Days schedule, although it has run before in the province.
“It is a competition that has taken place in the past. It just hasn’t been done for several years, and this is the first time these partnership organizations have joined forces to launch it back in Manitoba,” said Hannah Minshull, who sits on the board of directors for Manitoba Ag Days and is chair of the program subcommittee.
The program is part of the Canadian Young Speakers For Agriculture.
“What got us thinking about it is Alberta is doing it, and they have sort of aligned their competition with the Calgary Stampede,” she said.
With Manitoba Ag Days being the province’s largest agriculture event, organizers thought the farm show would make a similarly good local jumping-off point.
Partner organizations helping to put on the event include Ag in the Classroom Manitoba, Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba 4-H Council, the University of Manitoba and Assiniboine College.
Competition details
Competitors are between 11-24 years old, split into two categories; junior (ages 11-15) and senior (ages 16-24). Participants prepare a five-to-seven-minute speech on one of five approved topics. Those topics included artificial intelligence, Canadian agriculture competitiveness, lessons learned in the past 25 years, myths about Canadian agriculture and how to increase awareness of the diverse opportunities available in the agriculture and agri-food sectors.
Junior preliminary speeches were held Jan. 6, while senior preliminaries took place Jan. 8. Those speeches were done on Zoom, since competitors hail from all over Manitoba. Having a virtual event also allowed people from across the province to tune in. The top four juniors and seniors from the preliminary round were chosen to present at the final event at Ag Days.
“With the age group from 11 to 24, we’ve got students, young adults and work (aged). Both events happened in the evening just to accommodate schedules,” Minshull said.
Some contestants came through the 4-H public speaking program.
“That was an opportunity to partner with 4-H Manitoba and have the competition shared among their clubs, but it was spread more broadly than that, with all our partners,” said Minshull, adding, “We really had a fairly broad representation of participants from across Manitoba.”
Youth voices in agriculture
The judges, who came from partner organizations, as well as other fields such as medical and education, said they were blown away by the calibre of speeches, as well as the preparation, research and overall sense of knowledge and passion demonstrated by the young speakers.
“We’ve got kids to young adults, and they did their research and they’ve come with fresh perspectives and ideas. Lots of people said they were making notes themselves, just listening in,” Minshull said.
Hitting the big leagues
Winners of both the junior and senior category will present at the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture national event in Toronto. The national event will feature during the Royal Agriculture Winter Fair, Nov. 5-16, 2026.
Manitoba winners can also look forward to a cash prize. First place in both the senior and junior categories comes with a $1,000 payday. Second place will win $800, third will win $500 and fourth will win $200.
“The two that place first in the two age brackets will also win a $1,500 bursary to help with expenses to get to the Royal Agriculture Winter Fair,” said Minshull.
Fit for Ag Days
Minshull said the Manitoba Young Speakers for Agriculture competition is a perfect fit for Manitoba Ag Days.
“It fits well with our mission,” she said. “We have a strong focus on connecting with the industry; connecting, educating, networking. That is all very important to us. We’ve had a long-standing partnership with Ag in the Classroom Manitoba, because we do understand that education is key, and communication is part of that. It’s a great partnership of groups with like minds and similar goals that came around the table to make this happen.”
“They’ve got a lot of interesting things to say. They’re giving themselves a voice in a way that I think our producers could relate to. When you look at the topic selections, these are relevant discussion points in the ag industry right now.”
Hannah Minshull
Ag Days board
Minshull encouraged everyone to tune into the competition.
“They’ve got a lot of interesting things to say. They’re giving themselves a voice in a way that I think our producers could relate to. When you look at the topic selections, these are relevant discussion points in the ag industry right now. Lots of interesting perspectives and ideas will be thrown around that morning,” said Minshull.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the audience to make the connection with young people,” she added.
