Canadian Western Agribition will celebrate its 35th year with a new rodeo look.
The board of directors has signed a deal with the Canadian Cowboys Association to host that circuit’s finals during the November show, ending a relationship with professional rodeo that goes back more than 20 years.
Outgoing president Larry Brack said the change made good business sense. Agribition is international but has a strong grassroots following, he added, and the CCA rodeo is also grassroots.
“We think it’ll bring a new crowd and a different crowd that do attend a lot of the rodeos throughout the year.”
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The CCA has been around for 42 years and hosts 60 rodeos a year, most of them in Saskatchewan but also in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.
CCA vice-president Jason Pollock of Qu’Appelle, Sask., said the organization was looking for a new partner. The finals had been held in Saskatoon since 2000 and in Lloydminster before that.
“Agribition really is a showcase,” he said. “Our finals are also a showcase of our best cowboys.”
The finals will feature the top 10 money earners in each of seven events competing in five performances, rather than the single-night appearance at the Agribition Pro Rodeo event.
“The fan will want to come back each night to see how their picks are doing,” said Pollock, who is a steer wrestler.
He added that the CCA finals typically draw crowds between 20,000 and 25,000.
In 2004, Agribition attendance was 140,000, including 650 visitors from 61 countries and 16 American states. It reported a profit of $38,317 from operations for the year ending Jan. 31, 2005, which is down from $57,000 the previous year.
Auction sales totalled a little more than $2 million, with beef sales contributing more than $1.7 million of that. International sales of $63,250 involved purchasers from four U.S. states, Mexico and Brazil.
Brack said purebred beef entries were down about 10 percent, but still held with the five-year average of 2,000 head. Total livestock entries were 4,206, including animals from six provinces and nine states.
This fall, Agribition will have access to an additional 90,000 sq. feet of trade show space in the new multi-purpose facility that is being built on the former horse racing track. Brack said that offers the potential to attract more visitors and strengthen the bottom line.
He said the Angus and Hereford associations have already indicated they will host large national shows in Regina. The dairy show will return and more heavy horses are expected.
A new executive will be at the helm for the 2005 show, which is scheduled for Nov. 21-26. Herb McLane, executive vice-president of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council in Calgary, takes over as Agribition president.
Shannon McArton of Dilke, Sask., is first vice-president and Marilyn Charlton of Weyburn, Sask., is second vice-president.
Members at large are Bryan Hadland of Weldon, Sask., and Stewart Stone of Regina.
Elected to serve two-year terms on the board were McArton, Stone, Grant Alexander of Weyburn, Dale Claypool of Regina, Barry Clemens of Lumsden, Sask., Sherri Grant of Val Marie, Sask., Don Harder of Clavet, Sask., Tim Wiens of Regina and Barry Young of Carievale, Sask.
