Ian Hill found something at the 20th Western Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina that he says has been missing for the last few years.
“Enthusiasm has returned to the farm show,” said the Western Australian, who visited for the 13th time. “What’s new is the feeling of the people, the manufacturers, because we’ve been through some pretty tough times.”
Hill is director of Burando Hill, an agricultural equipment company that imports North American, mostly Canadian, products from companies like Westeel, Wheatheart and Conserva Pak.
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“We’re not really increasing our product line this year,” he said. “We’re here to try to keep ourselves informed.”
His recognition of the mood at the show was echoed by exhibitors.
Brian Dietz, of Farmtec Industrial Inc. at Loreburn, Sask., said people touring the exhibits were upbeat and the interest in his company’s plastic combine spout was high.
Midway through the four-day show, about 65 spouts had been sold, including an order for 30 units from a French delegation.
“Everybody loves it,” he said of the spout which funnels grain more directly into a truck. “Everywhere you look there’s something hanging on the end of a combine, a gunny sack or a tire tube. Gunny sacks are for potatoes.”
The 1997 show saw more than 40,000 people pass through the gates to see farm equipment and products offered by more than 700 exhibitors. International visitors numbered over 200, including a large delegation from Ukraine who were in Canada as part of the Canada-Ukraine Business Initiative conference.
The show’s opening ceremonies honored the 10 chairpersons who have steered the show to reflect changing trends and technology.
Lynette Evans, a long-time volunteer and Saskatchewan Wheat Pool employee, is the incoming, and first female, chair.
