REGINA – As the eighth and final day rolled around, the directors of Canadian Western Agribition were still shuttling around Regina’s exhibition grounds.
Just not as fast as they had been a few days earlier.
The show is spread over a large area and speculation abounds throughout the many barns about the distances covered by the show’s directors and staff members.
On the last day, Nov. 29, Wayne Gamble, Agribition’s executive director, was smiling broadly while he discussed the success of the event.
“We will have had about 150,000 people through (the show) by the end of the day. It might have been more if not for the weather,” said Gamble.
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Weather was the hot topic this year. Near record warm temperatures and an extra day allowed the gate to push to within a few thousand of last year’s record attendance of 154,000.
“I think the weather is really making a difference, but people are more optimistic than some might have suspected, too,” John LaClare, of Heartland Livestock, and the show’s second vice-president, said midway through the week.
Gamble said the livestock industry is one of the brighter spots in agriculture and the strong prices have kept livestock sales figures strong.
The number of purebred cattle shown at the event was down by 226. Much of this was attributed to a national Hereford show held in Edmonton this year and the withdrawal of the Texas Longhorn category.
Commercial cattle brought an average of $116.86 more per head this year than last at their sale with an increase of 25 head. While some of this was due to increased bred heifer numbers, the average is still higher on all animals, said buyers at the sale.
Youth and 4-H participation was up by 18 entries to 133 heifers. Despite low hog prices the number of entries increased to 77 from 70 but sale prices were down by a half to $8,345.
The numbers of sheep increased to 376, more than doubling last year’s entries.
Bison also increased in numbers and value. The top bison bull brought $34,000 with average prices remaining strong.
International guests also were up this year.
“A new record, which we’re particularly proud of, is that 46 different countries were represented at Agribition this year,” said Agribition president Mel Watson.
“That proves to us that we have a continuing role as one of Canada’s major international marketplaces. With Sunday’s totals yet to be included, the 1998 Canadian Western Agribition has hosted 435 international visitors from the 46 nations. These figures include 219 guests from 26 states in the United States.”
A crowd of nearly 4,000 people watched the Select Ranch Horse Competition and Sale in the Agridome. The price of the high selling horse was down from last year but with that price removed from the mix the average was nearly identical to 1997’s sale with a larger crowd on hand.
Popular event
Rodeo events neared sellout capacity for the Agridome (about 5,500) each night and for the Sunday afternoon matinee.
New show dates have brought the entire western agricultural show circuit closer together. Agribition started one week earlier this year.
“Some producers have told us that the new show schedules are causing them to take a close look at the shows they need to attend. Some with larger strings are now not taking in Saskatoon. Others that don’t do so much in the way of international marketing are choosing to skip Agribition and those are choices they have to make,” said Gamble.
Despite some fears that a pained farm economy might have hurt the 28th annual event, organizers say the show seemed hardly effected by the tough times.
