REGINA — Canadian Western Agribition posted a profit of $75,000 last year, said chief executive officer Shaun Kindopp.
The annual Regina show held its annual general meeting last week.
“I think we’ve got the right momentum heading into 2024 and we’re excited that it’s 221 days away,” he said April 17.
Last year featured several new events, an experience Kindopp said was like being shot out of a cannon. There has also been a staff turnover.
“This year we really want to focus on stability and perfecting a lot of the new events that we did last year,” he said.
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Those included a golf tournament as part of Agribition’s efforts to be in the spotlight year-round and the animal ag tech awards. Freestyle bullfighting will be back, “now that (people) understand we’re not doing harm to animals.”
The show recorded its highest attendance since 2005 with 142,807 recorded visitors.
There were also nearly 1,300 international guests from 69 countries.
That number is on par with previous shows, Kindopp said.
“The countries vary depending on travel restrictions and different things that are happening,” he said.
“But we are continually travelling, promoting the show internationally as Canada’s got some of the best genetics in the world.”
Livestock numbers totalled nearly 2,500; 1,500 of those were haltered beef.
The show relies on more than 330 volunteers to run smoothly each year. Kindopp said the aging demographic in the agriculture sector is a concern, and the show has to make sure there are younger people willing to step in to help.
“We want to make sure that there’s longevity, whether that’s on the staff, whether that’s on the crew of volunteers, to make sure that there is knowledge sharing between those,” he said.
One area where attendance was down was the number of schoolchildren able to attend. Typically those numbers are 8,000 or more, but in 2023 there were 4,300 students from grades 1 to 6, representing 176 classrooms, and 648 Career Expo students.
Organizers attributed that to school funding issues.
“Although reduced bus funding impacted the number of students able to attend, the thirst for agriculture knowledge continues to be demonstrated by those spending time in our Family Ag Pavilion,” former Agribition president Kim Hextall said in her report.
She is replaced by Michael Latimer from Olds, Alta., who has been on the board since 2015 and, along with a 30-year history in the business, is the executive director of the Canadian Hereford Association.
Sedley, Sask., producer Levi Jackson is vice-president. Members-at-large are Kelsey Ashworth from Oungre, Sask., Courtney MacDougall from Regina and Garth Newell from Carlyle, Sask.
Elected to two-year terms were Cynthia Beck, Dr. Christine Ewert Hill, Glenn Lipsett and Mona Taylor.
Directors who are now in the second year of their terms are Kelly Howe, Blake MacMillan, Grant McLellan and Karl Sauter.
Appointed directors include Angela Hall from the provincial agriculture ministry, Dana Hicks from the federal agriculture department and Chad Jedlic from the City of Regina.
