Rainy, windy days make organizers and exhibitors at Canada’s Farm Progress Show happy.
Attendance during a stormy June 20 set an all-time record for that weekday of more than 21,000 people. Final attendance figures were pegged at about 45,000 and show manager Rob O’Connor described the event as fantastic.
That was even as the show closed an hour earlier than planned June 19 after severe thunderstorms moved through Regina. The outdoor exhibits were evacuated.
“We were able to clean out the outdoor area in less than 34 minutes,” O’Connor said.
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“The volunteers and staff members used the emergency plan properly and it was a very smooth process.”
More rain June 20 caused problems for the city’s already stressed drainage system.
Some outdoor exhibitors struggled with water, as did three buildings, including the Evraz Place administration building, which saw the worst flooding.
“But I don’t want to cry in light of what’s happening in High River and Calgary,” O’Connor said.
Paul Degelman, owner of Degelman Industries, thinks June 20 was the busiest day at the show in the last 10 years.
“I need a windy or raining morning” to bring in the crowds, he said June 21. “It was the perfect storm yesterday in a lot of ways.”
Degelman uses the show to debut new products, which this year included tillage equipment.
For companies like his, the new year starts in June, particularly at this show, he said.
“It’s got to add value and Farm Progress Show does. That’s why we’ve been here since Day 1,” he said of the 36-year-old show.
“It’s like a big sales meeting that goes on for three days.”
Degelman said this show is one of the best at bringing in international buyers. His company does a lot of business in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Australia and the United States.
China and Inner Mongolia are newer customers.
About 700 international visitors were registered at the show’s international business centre.
Show chair Rene Carpentier noted that hotels in Regina and Moose Jaw were full, and the night before the show began, organizers were busy finding more rooms in Caronport, Sask., about an hour’s drive west of Regina.
Carpentier also said the show uses the residences at the University of Regina to help accommodate exhibitor staff.
Twenty-two products were launched at this year’s show.
Judges awarded six products the sterling innovation standard:
- Shapeshifter by Cancade Company Ltd. of Brandon, Man.
- Air Guard Seed Brake from Dutch Openers of Pilot Butte, Sask.
- Stopsensor by Laurustech Industries of New Salem, North Dakota.
- Hit N Hitch Pintle by Power Pin Inc. of Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask.
- SeedMaster of Emerald Park, Sask., for its Full Implement Last Pass.
- Trailer Mount Conveyor from Haukaas Manufacturing Ltd. of Mortlach, Sask. Haukaas also picked up a gold standard award for its rotating bale grapple.
