The newest farm show in Canada débuted this past month just outside of Saskatoon. It is the first outdoor farm show in Western Canada and modelled after the highly successful Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock Ontario. Glacier Media owns both shows and had a wealth of experienced people to plan and set up the show in Saskatoon. Going from a stubble field of canola to a full show site in just 90 days was no small feat. Unfortunately, the early drought affected the grass seeded for the grounds and the plots seeded by many of the exhibitors. This did not hamper the enthusiasm of the growers attending the show or the exhibitors.

Growers came from the three Prairie Provinces to partake in this new show venue. I heard many comments from them on how great it was to be able to see the plots of new varieties growing in the field and being able to make comparisons. Although many plots had to be watered to get a good stands farmers appreciated the efforts and were understanding and appreciative to see varieties perform in field conditions. The July show dates were also appealing to many growers as it was after the spray season and before any harvest operations.

The equipment demonstration this year focused on tillage implements. Several new manufactures were present to demonstrate the units in the field. Farmers actively dug down in the tilled ground to evaluate performance of each unit. Next year seeding demonstrations are planned for the field. There was also a demonstration of aerial drones that attracted a lot of interest from both growers and exhibitors staff in attendance.

With the rest of the year to prepare the site for next year growers, and exhibitors are already making plans to attend next year. A job well done by Glacier Media in getting this new show concept started in Western Canada.

Larry