AG TRADESHOW REPORT: AGRI-TRADE 2011
By Wendy Ell - Thanks to information I picked up from the Alberta Beef Producers at this year’s Agri-Trade Exposition, I now know that a rare steak is seared outside with 75% red through the centre while a “medium” rare steak is seared on the outside with a 50% red centre. There’s a fine line of difference there.
This show has been an annual gathering place for the Alberta farm community for the past 27 years and for those of you who haven’t ever attended the show, it has come be known as THE place to learn, first-hand, about the machinery and products that you need to farm successfully in the Alberta area. The show was held November 9th-12th at the Red Deer Westerner Park.
LEARNING MATERIAL
There was no shortage of material on hand for distribution to attendees. I picked up a Canola Swathing Guide from the Canola Council of Canada, the latest issue of Top Crop Manager’s Western Edition, documents explaining how I can double my investment with an RBC Agri-Invest account, a Canadian Beef “Merchandising Guide” explaining in detail the various beef cuts and how they appear at the grocery counter , a tractor notepad, various tattoos and pens, a photo of myself with the Grey Cup, an autograph from CFL great Rocco Romano, a photo of an enormous New Holland combine and information on three upcoming Ag-related seminars.
WHAT ATTENDEES HAD TO SAY
While I walked the aisles, I asked five attendees why they came to the show and here are the responses I got:
-“I have to see every year what the suppliers have to offer”
-“It’s something we do as a family”
-“I come so that I can see what’s new and flashy”
-“I get to see all my buddies here every year”
-“There are lots of products, lots of equipment.”
In the words of Jack Hayden, former Minister of Alberta’s Agriculture and Rural Development, “Agriculture is a valued and essential part of Alberta’s economy and it is events such Agri-Trade that provide opportunities for our agricultural sector to meet, reconnect and share experiences and new ideas.” Judging from the comments I got from other attendees, it looks like he was right.
THE GREY CUP
A nice highlight for me was on Friday, November 11th, when the Grey Cup made a special appearance at the Dow AgroSciences booth, in the Prairie Pavilion. At 10am that day, there was a procession into the Pavillion, led by a bagpiper in uniform, a RCMP officer and the well-known Rocco Romano, former offensive lineman with the Calgary Stampeders. There was quite a crowd hovering around the Dow AgroSciences booth for much of the day. And with the 99th Grey Cup itself only weeks away, having the Grey Cup there for public viewing was quite a treat.
To find out more about the show, or to view the winners of this year’s Ag Innovation awards, you can view the Agri-Trade site at http://www.agri-trade.com/.
Wendy is the Director of Public Relations with AdFarm. You can reach Wendy via email at wendy.ell@adfarmonline.com or follow her on Twitter at @wendy_PRLady.