Saskatoon’s Western Canadian Crop Production Show is always one of the most anticipated happenings of the agricultural trade show season, and this year’s event is no different.
This year’s show will take place Jan. 9-12 at the World Trade Centre Saskatoon at Prairieland Park. Leigh Ann Hurlburt, ag manager for Prairieland Park, says there is a renewed sense of excitement about the event this year as life has begun to return to normal following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hurlburt says the buzz about this year’s show is reflected in the fact that the number of exhibitors taking part in the event has returned to pre-pandemic levels. More than 300 exhibitors from Western Canada, Ontario and the northern United States will occupy the show’s more than 1,100 exhibition spaces in 2023, and there is once again a lengthy waiting list of potential exhibitors who remain on the outside looking in due to limited space.
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Surge in interest
That surge in interest comes as a huge relief for Crop Production Show organizers, who were forced to cancel the event in 2021 due to public health restrictions and then had to contend with the reluctance of some individuals to participate in last year’s event because of lingering public health concerns.
“We have a long list of exhibitors who may not have been able to attend last year who are all making sure they are in the show for this year,” says Hurlburt, who co-ordinates all of the park’s agricultural programming.
“We’re back in business and back to normal. We want to go forward and not worry about COVID. We’ve put COVID behind us and we are moving full steam ahead with everything we do here.”
That sense of renewed enthusiasm for the show also extends to visitors, Hurlburt adds. While the total number of passes sold for this year’s event is not yet known, organizers are expecting attendance totals to match or exceed pre-COVID numbers. That means more than 20,000 farmers and other visitors will likely fill the five halls that comprise the exhibition facility.
Those visitors can expect to see hundreds of featured displays covering a wide range of crop input and production products and services from a host of major and regional farm equipment manufacturers.
Nufarm Information Theatre
One of the most popular venues at the Crop Production Show each year is the Nufarm Information Theatre, which will be hosting several information sessions during this year’s four-day event. The sessions are must-attend events and won’t be available to view online.
Title sponsor Nufarm Canada will be hosting a daily session on what pulse crops want to tell us about aphanomyces and fusarium. The sessions will review tools and strategies to manage aphanomyces and fusarium root rot in peas and lentils. The sessions will be hosted by Eric Schick, an agronomist and territory manager for Nufarm, who is also actively involved in helping run his family’s farm in Spring Valley, Sask.
On Jan. 10, lawyer Jon M. Ponath of Felesky Flynn LLP will host a discussion on farm succession planning including basic concepts and recent developments. “I think farm succession planning is such a big thing right now and I think that’s going to be a busy one,” Hurlburt adds.
The following day, Geoff Wilson, a Saskatchewan provincial specialist in apiculture (beekeeping), will provide his expertise on the subject, “Honey Bee Health: A Vital Component of Prairie Farming.” Later in the day, Keith Willoughby, dean of the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan, will conduct a discussion on supply chain management titled, “The Year the World Ran Out of Everything: Wherefore Art Thou, Supply Chain Management.”
The Nufarm Theatre sessions will wrap up on Jan. 12. Graham Parsons, a provincial pollinator biosecurity specialist, will offer his outlook on pollinators in the agricultural landscape. He will be followed by Cory Jacob, a provincial specialist for oilseed crops with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, who will present an update on canola, flax and mustard crops for 2022 including information on production and disease surveys.
Special occasion
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Crop Production Show. Hurlburt says organizers will celebrate the occasion with a special door prize draw. The winner will receive a free trip for two to Las Vegas, Nev., along with spending money. In addition, 10 exhibitors will receive special commemorative plaques to recognize four decades of participation in the show.
The 2023 Crop Production Show will be open Jan. 9 from noon until 6 p.m. On Jan. 10 and 11, it will be open both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It wraps up Jan. 12 and will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. One-day passes are available for $20 per person while two-day passes can be purchased for $36. Free parking will be available at Prairieland Park and heated shuttle service from the parking lot to the front door will be offered.
