Innovation will once again be in the spotlight at the 2025 Manitoba Ag Days.
Dwayne Leslie, a Poplar Point-area farmer and chair of the Innovation Showcase committee, says he’s always impressed by the ingenuity, creativity and overall spirit of innovation that permeates the awards. Inventions spring from farm shops and from product development departments at established companies.
“We see a lot of innovations that come from the big companies but it’s also the farm-built solutions that can be just as interesting. When farmers have a problem, they often come up with their own solution. Farmers are natural engineers and designers because they have to be. And this is where a lot of these ideas come from.”
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This year, innovations range from a unique spray nozzle design to a cutting edge combine from a major manufacturer. With this variety of products in the running, the committee must determine which ones deserves awards in seven categories.
“It’s always interesting to see what these companies come up with and we certainly have some unique entries,” Leslie said. “The committee divides the list of entries into their different categories. Some people are livestock farmers so they can look at the livestock categories and give them a proper review.”
No matter how big or small, any new technology is best judged by one basic criterion.
“We want to make sure it’s new to the Manitoba market, new to Ag Days and not just another product that’s been redone, rehashed, rebuilt or reimagined,” he said. “We want something that’s truly new and I want to know that it’s fixing a problem.”
The committee reviews the entries and selects the ones that members find most intriguing. The next step is interviewing each innovator about the product.
“We schedule a phone call with each of the selected innovators and spend half an hour to learn about their product, learn about their process, why it’s innovative,” Leslie said.
“Then comes the part I really enjoy — visiting the companies and learning about their new products. I’m especially interested in why they are launching them.”
This is the sixth year for the Innovation Showcase. In the past it was called the Inventor’s Showcase, at which a roster of 14 inventors competed for two prizes. It’s a bigger deal now, with 34 contestants competing for first and second prizes in one of seven categories.
Winners are awarded with a commemorative floor mat that they may display in their booth space and in their business space back home. First place also receives a $1,000 voucher for advertising space with Glacier FarmMedia, the parent company of many of Western Canada’s farm media, including the Manitoba Co-operator. Second place wins a $500 voucher.
Anyone entering the Innovation Showcase is housed in Barn 4 if possible, particularly if it’s a first-time entrant.
Solves problems
Leslie said new technology should have one major selling point: it fills a need. An important aspect for him, when evaluating entries, is whether he would buy it himself.
One of the innovations he singled out is the Pipe Drain, from 240 Fabricating. It’s a simple piece of technology consisting of a number of drain troughs emptying into a reservoir. The troughs rest against an idler on a track machine so lubricant can be drained from several areas at once.
“That is a great farm-built solution because it was originally made for Case Quad Tracks,” he said. “I know with my own Quad Track, when we go to change the oil in all of those idlers, there was always a mess — so if it cures a problem that you know about yourself, it goes a long way.”
The Farm Droid Seeder and Weeder is a radical piece of robotic technology. A solar-powered seeder slowly moves over the field, placing seeds according to its locational software. While it does that, it removes any plant that’s not in a “seed position.” It’s completely autonomous.
“We certainly get some products that are at the cusp of being launched,” Leslie said. “With technology moving so fast these days, what was in show last year can be completely different to what’s in the show this year, so things like the robotic seeder is from a company that’s making such big steps every year.”
Other entries of interest include:
Sairs Stone Sight
This is a farm-built artificial intelligence solution for stone mapping. An imaging system is affixed to the back of an implement (often a drill tank). Image data is uploaded to the cloud for processing. A navigable stone map is returned to the stone picker.
Area: Barn 4
Booth: 1830
www.sairs.ca
Mylivestock.ca
This is a Canada-wide movement management and reporting app. It can manage digital manifests, opt-in CCIA and PigTRACE automated reporting, humane transport records, transfer of care management, manifests, and real-time notifications of livestock movement for livestock identification and traceability federal regulations.
Area: Barn 4
Booth: 1819
mylivestock.ca
DRYit Radial Flow
This air distribution system installs inside hopper bottom grain bins to evenly distribute airflow, allowing for efficient grain drying and aeration.
Area: Barn 4
Booth: 1824
www.wavcor.ca
Verve Seeds Solutions Inc.
Hybrid Hemp Variety
Hemp is poised to become a significant crop for producers in Western Canada, with strong demand for hemp protein, omega oil and fibre. The main limitation of the crop is yield and development of hybrids addresses this.
Area: Westoba Place Concourse
Booth: 1125
verveseeds.com
Antara Insights 2.0
Antara Agronomy Services Ltd.
Insights 2.0 is the next evolution of Antara’s award-winning agronomy benchmarking service. New features such as field specific weather, input cost analysis and planter report cards give additional insights that help turn data into decisions.
Area: Barn 4
Booth: 1839
www.antaraag.ca
AgVision
AgVision HD
The evolution of implement cameras comes with new, true HD, vision systems from AgVision. These are the first wired IP digital implement camera systems that offer unparalleled clarity and scalability with a 1080P, 10.1 inch, touchscreen monitor.
Area: City Square Exhibition Hall
Booth: 466
www.agvisioncameras.ca
Razor’s Edge Concaves
These concaves feature unique variable spacing that tightens where the crop hits and opens to prevent overload. This boosts threshing efficiency, ensures even material flow, and allows versatile multi-crop performance without cover plates
Area: Barn 4
Booth: 1832
thunderstruckag.com
For more farm show content, including previews, show coverage and more, check out our Manitoba Ag Days landing page.
Innovation Showcase categories
Agronomics
Awarded to the company that has developed a new technology that improves crop production including innovation in genetics, pesticide application (non-mechanical), and the process of producing a crop.
Animal and Livestock
Awarded to the company that has a new technology that assists in the health and well-being of livestock animals.
Agriculture Equipment
Awarded to the company that has developed a new equipment concept or technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with farming application.
Agribusiness
Awarded to the company that has developed a new technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with the management of their farm business and clients. New companies are also eligible in this category as a launching pad to highlight their business model.
Ag Tech
Awarded to the company that has developed a new concept or technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with farming applications.
Farm Safety
Awarded to the company that has developed a new product that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with safety being of the utmost importance.
Farm Built Solutions
Awarded to the exhibitor that has developed a concept or technology that assists farmers and agriculture professionals with farming applications. Ag Days looks for grassroot inventions in this category. It’s for those who tinker in their shop, garage or yard and have created something useful and progressive.
SOURCE: AG DAYS
