It was full steam ahead for Ag Days last January, and after a year of COVID hiatus, the board was eager to throw open the Keystone Centre doors for a huge “welcome back” celebration.
But then another wave of pandemic hit, with its own set of crippling restrictions, and the show was closed for another year.
“It was a heart-breaker for our whole group, particularly to our management team, because of the amount of work and prep that had gone into it,” said Brad Crammond, innovation showcase chair. “We planned a whole show for nothing.”
Read Also
The joys of fishing from shore
Manitoba has many lake and river shorelines to drop a fishing line without the cost of a boat, making shore fishing more accessible, and anglers can still catch impressive fish.
Organizers were able to refund all the money to their ticket holders and rebated entry fees to many exhibitors. They even gave out the Innovation Showcase awards and the Ag Days Gives Back community grants.
“That was a real win-win because we were able to support our exhibitors and they supported us,” Crammond said. “You can really see it this year because everyone has just come back to support us again.”
Ag Days is once again ready to throw the doors open this January. It’s been two years in the making and it’s a show not to be missed, organizers said.
“We’re back at full capacity,” said Ag Days co-ordinator Kristen Phillips. “We have over 550 exhibitors, we’ve got 71 speakers and 32 innovations in our Innovation Showcase.”
This year will feature twice the number of speakers, twice the number of innovators and a greater number of exhibitors. Ag Days has become Canada’s largest indoor farm show.
“We take up every square inch of the Keystone Centre in Brandon and that’s around 12 acres all under one roof,” said Crammond. “We have 535 exhibitors this year, which is the largest in Canada for an indoor show. And we have everything. If you’re looking for something that is agriculture, you’ll find it at our show.”
Speakers will keep two theatres running full time. Attendees may choose from all manner of experts covering topics in marketing and finance, agronomy, inspiration and even comedy.
“On Wednesday morning we’re talking about dreaming big and innovating big and innovating fast with Evan Shout,” says Stephanie Cruickshank, program committee chair. “Evan is a chartered accountant and works as an ag consultant with the Hebert group out of Saskatchewan. He’s going to talk about the impact of change, how change is a norm, not an event but how change is really the key to your dreams and innovations.
“Another crowd favourite is J.P. Gervais with FCC,” she said. “He is going to talk about inflation navigation. So interest rates, input costs, markets, where do we sit? Where do we go from here?”
There is also a strong lineup of speakers on agronomy from groups including the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean growers and there is a livestock session on Wednesday afternoon.
“We have a farmer panel on Tuesday afternoon talking about last spring and how you had to make decisions on the fly,” Cruickshank said. “Often things were not done according to plan because the plan had to adapt every moment. Sometimes it’s just important to be a flexible in making things work out.”
Speakers from Brandon’s Assiniboine Community College applied research program join this year’s list of presenters. They’ll be talking about the relationship between research and the farm community and the importance of taking that research to an on-farm application.
“And once again, we’ll be offering CCA credits to anyone who’s registered as a certified crop advisor for their continuing education credits through the program,” Cruickshank said.
The Innovation Showcase, always a popular event, is back and bigger than ever, with 32 entries in seven categories.
“It is something to see,” said Crammond. “I think this year it’s going to be a real celebration with two years that we haven’t been able to host the show in person. We’re very excited.”
Innovation starts with someone solving a problem and the showcase is a testament to ingenuity. Of the seven categories, the most popular is always the “farm-built solutions,” where producers can get the low-down from other producers.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at the show.
As for the annual Ag Days Gives Back community grants, last year funds were awarded for upgrading skating rinks, community centres and curling clubs. This year, in keeping with this year’s theme of health, wellness and safety, the awards will go to local fire departments.
There are several education grants as well, including one for leadership in agricultural education. It’s given to an organization, and in this case, to Ag in the Classroom.
There are also a number of scholarships, one for an agriculture student at Assiniboine Community College and two for University of Manitoba students, one for a diploma student and one for a degree student.
The Ag Days Gives Back presentations will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the MNP theatre.
Ag Days 2023 runs Jan. 17-19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
More details are available on the Ag Days website at agdays.com. Be sure to look under the “visitors” heading for the “Know Before You Go” page, which has information on how to buy tickets and where to park, as well as safety protocols. There is also a floor map of the Keystone Centre.
Early bird single day tickets are $15 and a full event pass is $40.
