The barns at Farmfair International seemed quieter than normal this year as exhibitors began showing and marketing their cattle.
This is the first year Farmfair was without the Canadian Finals Rodeo, a major event that drew in large crowds to the Edmonton Expo Centre. The rodeo was held in Red Deer this year after the City of Edmonton closed the Coliseum, its former home.
Without the major rodeo, organizers at the event expect fewer attendees, though they won’t know what those numbers will be until the event wraps up. Previous data indicates 40 percent of attendance is connected to the rodeo, said Jessie Radies, director of agriculture with Northlands.
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“We anticipate we will see a significant shift in attendance numbers,” Radies said Nov. 7.
“But I’m hoping the impact to our show is limited to attendance.”
Radies said cattle and exhibitor numbers remain relatively strong. The organization is only hosting two national shows this year, compared to five last year, but managed to bring in 920 head. Last year, Farmfair brought in 1,075 head.
As for beef exhibitors, 274 attended the event this year. Last year, there were 249.
“Given that we don’t have five national shows, we still have really strong representation from the beef sector,” she said.
Despite the good numbers, the mood in the barns among some exhibitors was subdued.
On opening day, some exhibitors said the event felt quieter, anticipating there might be fewer buyers. Others were holding out hope that it would pick up as the week progressed.
“I think with entries being down and due to the fact we lost the CFR, a lot of people who exhibit here question whether or not there is going to be enough business,” said Nicolle Hoskins of Cinder Angus near Barrhead, Alta.
However, even though she has reservations, she said she’ll have a better idea on how business goes once the event is over. The family has been coming for roughly 20 years. It’s a staple event they can’t miss.
“It’s a show close to home for us,” she said.
“We don’t want to drop them like a hot potato. You’ve got to try to make a go of it and see where it goes.”
Other exhibitors felt similarly. Though they said it feels smaller, they will continue to show their support. The quality of cattle has also remained the same.
“It’ll be sad if it ever ends,” said Samantha Roscoe of Family Ties Angus, which is based near Marwayne, Alta.
“There are friends and family you make here over the years. This has always been our favourite show.”
Radies said Farmfair doesn’t track the number of local buyers, so it will be difficult to know exactly what the turnout will be. However, it does track international buyers. There are 79 of them this year, compared to 93 last year.
She said as long as buyer attendance and the livestock shows remain strong, the organization will continue to build off of that. Lower attendance from the general public will generally affect the shopping vendors, she added.
“The biggest outcome in delivery we bring to this show are really market access and an opportunity to get together and collectively bring their product to market.”
As well, the organization will be looking at how well the Heritage Ranch Rodeo performs this year for drawing in crowds. While it’s not as big as the Canadian finals, it’s been around for more than a decade and is seen as a staple event.
The organization has an agreement with the city to stay at the Expo Centre until 2022. Once the agreement is over, it has the option to renew the agreement and stay until 2027.
Farmfair hosted 101,129 people last year, drawing in families, competitors, exhibitors, trade experts and buyers. It was a record-breaking event for the organization. This year’s event was held Nov. 7-11.
Farmfair numbers over the years:
2014: 198 exhibitors and 705 cattle
2015: 240 exhibits and Information 871 cattle
2016: 295 exhibitors and 1,037 cattle
2017: 249 exhibitors and 1,075 cattle
2018: 274 exhibitors and 920 cattle
Contact jeremy.simes@producer.com
