Ag in Motion features field demonstrations that show farmers how new farm equipment and other technology works
Burning diesel fuel and rising dust set a new farm show apart from the carpet and concrete that characterize most Canadian agricultural events.
Ag in Motion, Canada’s newest farm show, launched July 21 with more than 200 exhibitors on hand.
“It’s the first new farm show in 23 years. It speaks to the health of this industry,” federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said during the opening of the event.
The show is unique in Western Canada because of the hands-on nature of the demonstration areas.
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“This event allows farmers to experience the latest technology first hand and be introduced to tools that might make them more efficient and profitable and learn about best practices,” he said.
Jonathon Kennedy, president of Glacier Media, which owns the AIM show and The Western Producer, said the new event is part of Glacier’s commitment to agriculture in Canada.
“We have purchased 320 acres for the AIM show’s site. I think that shows we are in agriculture for the long haul.”
The show demonstrates farm machinery and has numerous crop demonstration plots on the site, often adjacent to the exhibitor’s booths.
Doug Wagner, president of Glacier’s show division, said AIM relies on local volunteers, from “14 to retirees.” The groups use the event as fundraisers, he added.
“We all win. We have a lot of experience with this type of approach at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (in Woodstock, Ont.),” he said.
Rob O’Connor, who runs the event, said the response from both farmers attending the show and exhibitors was “as good as I could have imagined. (It) really has delivered everything we thought that it could, maybe more.”
Exhibitor Dave Patrick and partner Hendrik Stuut from Bow Island, Alta., travelled 500 kilometres to display equipment at the show.
“We weren’t planning to sell machinery at the event, especially the stuff we brought from home,” said Patrick of D and H Equipment.
“We didn’t even get to wash it. It sold on Day 1. That doesn’t happen at a lot of shows,” he said about getting a cheque for $42,500 for a 50 foot, Mandako land roller.
Stuut said the crowd at the show was made up almost “entirely of serious farmers. They are here to see what you have. They stop at the booth and talk for quite long periods. Lots of questions. High quality customers.”
Machinery demonstrations attracted hundreds of farmers to fields that were attached to the ex-hibitor area.
Warren Hanson of Kinistino, Sask., reached into dirt that had just been exposed to aggressive vertical tillage, clearing away soil from stubble to see if the straw was chopped or stratified. He gathered up some soil in his right hand and breathed deeply as he lifted it up toward his face.
“This part of the event does things to farmers. The soil, the sounds. This is going to get bigger and bigger,” he said.
It was the fifth set of results of the seven machines that demonstrated their abilities each day during the show.
“Each one of these has its attributes,” Hanson said.
“No better way to make a choice about which one you might want to try for your own needs, on your farm,” he said.
Dennis Bulani of The Rack at Bigger, Sask., planted his company’s crop nutrition program, Ultimate Yield Management, at the show site.
“I think we are the only ones with performance trial plots here. There are lots of crop plots showing off genetics and chemicals. This lets farmers see it for themselves,” he said.
Chelsea Norheim of the Rack said farmers are “going into the plots and pulling up and plants and comparing them.” This is something they get,” he said.
