Low attendance but high morale as Agribition 2021 wraps up
Attendance at the Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) is down compared to previous years, but organizers said spirit and morale is up.
In 2019, 121,000 attended the week long event.
Chris Lane, CEO of CWA, said the final numbers for this year’s event aren’t in yet, but he is expecting lower numbers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proof of vaccination requirements, travel restrictions and not having children coming through on school tours are factors causing the low attendance according to CWA.
Lane said there are still approximately 10,000 people expected to come through the gates.
“The people who are making the effort to be here are coming specifically to do business. We have never had better attendance in our conferences from the Grain Expo and the Indigenous Ag Summit,” said Lane.
International participation is also down this year.
There were 100 producers from 20 different countries at the 2021 event, compared to the 1,000 that usually participated in previous years. Chris Lees, President of CWA, said this has caused an increase in online participation.
“They watch the shows, they watch the sales and they’re participating in it,” Lees said.
Despite the lowered attendance, livestock sales have been very good this year according to Lees.
He said pandemic fallout and the summer drought caused an increase in sales. Livestock is selling for $50,000 to $80,000 or more, putting them on average or above previous years.
Even with the low attendance records, the CWA is calling the event a success because of the positive morale.
“I have never walked through those barns or the trade show were people just stop and talk and say ‘we are glad we’re here and thanks for putting this on and getting it up and running,’” Lees said.
Lane added it’s important for CWA to bring the sense of positivity and community that has filled this week into future Agribitions.
“The first show back after COVID-19 had to start somewhere and I don’t think as an organization we could be happier or prouder of where Agribition has started back up,” Lane added.
Agribition 2022 is scheduled for Nov. 28 to Dec. 3, which is one week later than usual to accommodate Grey Cup 2022 festivities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.