It’s a year of firsts for Farmfair, which runs Nov. 5-14 in Edmonton.
For the first time, Amaz-ing Agriculture, an interactive display designed to introduce elementary city kids to agriculture and life on the farm, will be part of the livestock show.
Alberta producers will also show and sell their wares in the Home Grown Alberta showcase designed to promote local food.
The Goats West Conference, a symposium about marketing, showing and raising goats will be featured.
The Headliner All Breeds show and sale will be held, with $25,000 in prize money split between buyer and seller.
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And also for the first time, all the cattle shows will be recorded live and broadcast around the world for international buyers to watch.
“Every breed show will be videoed direct and broadcast live and we’re quite excited about that,” said Paul Lucas, director of agriculture and food for Northlands in Edmonton.
Lucas said the combination of new and longstanding events is an attempt to bring more rural and urban people to Northlands for the 10-day livestock show.
About 50 head of cattle are entered in the pre-selected all breeds show with the largest purse of any cattle show in Canada.
“It’s an attempt for us to try and get some sales going. We’re trying to provide incentive for the industry,” said Lucas.
About 780 head of purebred cattle, about the same number as last year, are entered at the different breed shows during the week. This year, Farmfair will feature the national Angus, Limousin, Lowline and Maine Anjou beef shows. It will also celebrate 150 years of Herefords in Western Canada.
Through a partnership with Alberta Agriculture, Northlands is hosting 15 Mexican cattle breeders and Mexico’s minister of agriculture, 10 Australian livestock breeders and one of the largest cattle breeders in South America at the show.
Lucas said the new Edmonton Expo Centre has allowed organizers to merge Amaze-ing Agriculture into the show. It has also given organizers the ability to expand existing shows.
“The facility has opened a lot more space and we decided we wanted to try to be a little more strategic and create other agriculture programming to attract urban and rural audiences.
“We have been criticized in the past for not having enough for urban people to come down and see,” said Lucas.
Also for the first time is a Farm to Fork pilot project. A class from one school will spend the day going to food school.
With the help of a chef, dietitian and teacher, the students will get the list of ingredients for a pizza before approaching the Alberta food displays to talk to producers about food. The students will discuss what they learned about the food and make a pizza to eat.
If successful, it could become a permanent program in 2011.
