Two dozen district residents piled onto a bus early last Thursday morning and headed out to the Agribition show in Regina, Sask. for four days.
And they returned home Sunday night with rave reviews.
The tour, organized by Angela Halverson of the Rainy River Future Development Corp., was the second one to take off from Rainy River District to attend Agribition–one of Canada’s largest agricultural showcases.
“It’s one of the biggest in western Canada. There are thousands and thousands of people there,” noted Halverson.
“They say it’s as big as the Royal [Winter Fair in Toronto], if not bigger,” echoed Lois Caul, who was among those on the trip, which also included some International Falls residents.
The bus picked up residents starting in Fort Frances at 5 a.m. and stopped in a number of district municipalities while heading west. Their first stop was at an auction barn in Manitoba while en route to Regina.
For $150 each, the group enjoyed a ride filled with plenty of camaraderie to and from Agribition, spending their time visiting the show at their leisure and then gathering together in the evenings at their hotel.
“Many were there to see the cattle shows and sales. Some were there to see horse shows and dog shows,” noted Halverson. “I did do an evaluation and I got really positive feedback. They learned a lot and were able to participate in a lot of the events.
“They were a good crew–nice people to travel with,” she added.
Although about two-thirds of the participants had gone on the inaugural trip last year, there were some newcomers, including Devlin farmer Harold Duivenvoorden.
“I don’t know if you could say you learn a lot but it sort of enlightens you to a larger area in terms of grain, cattle, and horses,” said Duivenvoorden. “I never really got a chance to take time and go to all the displays. By the time I went to all the horse shows and cattle shows. . . .
“I would highly recommend travelling that way. You can relax and get to know people,” he continued. “There were people I’ve known who they are all my life to look at but never really got to know until now.
“I would highly recommend it to anyone who’s got an interest in agriculture. There’s farmers from all over North America,” stressed Duivenvoorden, who found the cattle exhibits were the highlight of his visit.
“It was probably the cattle shows. That top-quality cattle was probably the best stuff in Canada, and the ranch competition with horses cutting up cattle,” he said.
“It’s a very great learning opportunity and you don’t just have to be a farmer,” agreed Caul, who runs a district cattle farm along with her husband, Wilfred.
“It was a very good trip, most of the people were interested in a certain breed of cattle,” she noted. “We’re Charolais breeders so we went to see the Charolais.”
Many of those who attended Agribition compared it to Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair or the Edmonton Farm Fair. It featured trade exhibits, show competitions for all varieties of livestock, and a number of live events appealing to those interested in all aspects of the farming industry.
But for many of those on the Agribition tour from Rainy River District, cattle was the main attraction.
“You see all different types of cattle [and] talk to different buyers who give your pointers. It’s a learning experience,” said Bev Hyatt who, along with her husband, George, took part in the tour for the second time.
“It’s well worth going, it was a good bunch of people on there,” she added. “There’s a rodeo going on out there and a music program, and lot’s of things to see at the trade show.”
And most of those who went plan to do so again next year.
“I talked to a few people who went last year who said it was a good time and right now I’m thinking I’ll be going back next year,” said Duivenvoorden.