As you enter the gates of Farmfair International in Edmonton next month, there are some things you won’t see: rabbits and urban chickens.
Those were a couple of the events former Farmfair organizer Northlands had set up in 2019 (the last show before the pandemic) to attract urban audiences. This year, with the stakes higher than ever on at least a couple of fronts, the new organizer Explore Edmonton is going back to basics: all beef industry, all the time.
(OK, there are some bees: the Alberta Honey Show is scheduled for all three days of the event.)
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
“What you will see (at the trade show) are booths that will be more relevant to the cattle agriculture lifestyle industry and more relevant to the exhibitors who are there,” said Farmfair manager Leah Jones.
“You will see livestock, tools, equipment, western wear — that type of thing. But all the other things won’t be there this year.”
This year’s show, from Nov. 10-13 at the Expo Centre in Edmonton, faces a number of potential challenges, primarily from uncertainty around changing COVID-19 regulations.
Even before the pandemic, the show had seen falling attendance following the loss of the Canadian Finals Rodeo, long held at Northlands Coliseum, to Red Deer’s Westerner Park.
But her organization is confident the ‘back to cattle basics’ approach (which includes an extra $210,000 in prize money) will reverse that trend, said Jones.
“We want to have a good, solid show where livestock producers can come and showcase their animals for the purpose of marketing to commercial and purebred cattlemen,” she said.
“We’re providing a platform for them to continue doing their business. In terms of what’s bigger or better or new, that really wasn’t the plan for this year — it’s just to have a solid show. But we will definitely build in our future years.”
Explore Edmonton, the city’s tourism and destination marketing organization, took over both Farmfair and K-Days when Northlands, an agriculture society, was wound down after 142 years.
But it wasn’t an abrupt break.
“Some of the staff did come across to the newer organization so that historical planning, knowledge and connection with industry wasn’t lost. I think that was a very wise decision,” said Jones, who has been a Farmfair exhibitor and volunteer and also served on the Northlands board.
Buyers and exhibitors
The inbound buyer program will be smaller (and more tentative) because of the pandemic, but Jones remains optimistic.
“We’ve had interest for quite some time from Mexico,” she said. “We also have interest from the U.S. and South Africa. It’s not going to be a large contingent like we’ve built over past years but there will be a small group coming providing the COVID protocols still allow travel.
“There is interest and if for some reason they can’t actually be here we still have the ability to put them in connection with purebred producers.”
The extra $210,000 in prize money for cattle exhibitors is coming from Explore Edmonton and several corporate sponsors. Because Farmfair usually features 10 breed shows, this means an extra $21,000 per breed showing. That makes it the richest cattle show in Canada, said Jones.
“It’s an investment into the show — you need exhibitors to bring in the audience and you need the audience to keep the exhibitors,” said Jones.
The format of the show won’t be any surprise to longtime attendees of Farmfair. The purebred livestock shows run Nov. 10-12. There are 10 breed shows plus an all-breed show: Black Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Red Angus, Shorthorn, Simmental and Speckle Park.
The Saturday (Nov. 13) is largely dedicated to commercial cattle producers with features such as the bullpen show, the cattlemen’s lunch, and the junior prospects and junior futurity shows.
The day culminates in the Alberta Supreme Show, which will showcase breed champions from Farmfair, the Olds Fall Classic and the Lloydminster Stockade Roundup. Ultimately, two Alberta Supreme Grand Champions — a bull and a female — will be named with a total of $110,000 in prizes being awarded.
“There’s some exciting prizes,” said Jones. “The champion female and the champion bull will each receive $20,000 in cash, runners-up will receive $5,000 in cash and there will be four exhibitor draws for $5,000.
“So just like we have the richest show in Canada, we have the richest supreme in Canada as well.”
Although Farmfair has been through a number of tough years, Jones said the cattle industry is rooting for it to continue.
“When you’re showing cattle you need a circuit of shows to go to,” she said. “I got to talk to all of our provincial and national breed associations and they are all 100 per cent behind this show being successful.
“It’s that important for the industry in terms of a platform to market and sell genetics locally, nationally and around the globe.”
Explore Edmonton has a mandate to reimagine Farmfair in the future. Jones said the organization does not know what that’s going to look like yet, but it’s something it’s already thinking about.
“We have some things we’re already known for. We have a fabulous facility, for one. What we will do moving forward is figure out how to connect more of the dots and make this a can’t-miss destination not just for livestock but for other things that are happening in ag, whether that’s meetings, forums or smart tech.
“That’s what we’re going to figure out over the course of the next year as we reimagine it and build this show into a bigger, better ag show.”
And so yes, that means the bunnies and urban chickens may return.
