Those attending Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) this year can expect familiar names and faces, along with a strong focus on innovation.
Show director Rob O’Connor will take on COFS, which takes place Sept. 9 to 11 in Woodstock, for the second time after taking over the reins from former show director Doug Wagner last year. O’Connor is also show director for Ag in Motion (AIM) which took place in Langham, Sask. in mid-July. Both farm shows are owned and operated by Glacier FarmMedia.
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To follow all our Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show coverage, visit Farmtario’s COFS page.
“I’m very fortunate because I’ve lived in both Ontario and Saskatchewan,” O’Connor said. “I actually went to University of Guelph, so I have a number of friends and connections in the east. So that’s been very helpful with this transition.”
O’Connor said Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show has a great brand and has a lot of loyal customers and farmers who come to the show. “There’s a lot of passion for the show, and a lot of people that are friends to the show. So, that’s been very helpful to keep things running very smoothly.”
The 2025 show will feature over 650 exhibitors and open with the Innovation in Agriculture awards, which O’Connor said will feature around 30 companies. There will also be a heavy focus on agtech programming for both livestock and crops.
In terms of returning features, O’Connor mentioned high-speed tillage demonstrations, baling demonstrations, drone demos and ride-and drives.
He said one of the events he is most excited for is the Beyond the Beaten Path tour of applied research projects happening at the site.
Plenty has changed in the world of Canadian agriculture since O’Connor took over the show in 2024. With concerns now on U.S. tariffs and international trade, he said to expect a strong international presence at the show.
“With the change in the international trade, especially between Canada and the U.S. or Canada and China, it’s not just happening with Canada. It’s happening with other countries that trade with those larger economic forces. They’re doing the same thing to their other trading partners.”
“What we found at the show in Saskatchewan was we had a lot more international people come for the purpose of trying to find new partners that they can trade with,” O’Connor said. “I fully believe that’ll happen at our show in Ontario as well.”
O’Connor said he’s still receiving requests for letters of invitation for people to come to Canada. “We do know there’s a large group of Australians coming this year, people from Czech Republic. So yeah, we’ll definitely have that international flavour at the show,” he said.
O’Connor offered the following advice for first-time COFS attendees: “The show is quite large,” he said. “Thirty-six thousand to 40,000 people come through the gate. So, it can be very busy, so take some time, maybe come back a second day. It’s too much, I think, to do in one full day.”
He also encouraged farmers to check out this year’s agtech programming at the Dairy Innovation Centre and the agtech tent.
“Those are the types of technology and businesses that are up-and-coming and will be not only looking for input for farmers, but also to let them know that these new opportunities to improve their business will be probably coming to the market in the next three to five years.”
