Ag Ex dinner provides opportunity for reunions

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This article was published 27/10/2021 (1793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As people sipped beer, ate hamburgers and talked business at the Dome Building on Tuesday evening, the sound that dominated the proceedings was that of reunion.

Faces may have been obscured and voices slightly muffled by the masks people were wearing, but even brief eye contact was enough for those in attendance to know that they were among old friends.

On the night before the beginning of the first Manitoba Ag Ex since 2019, the Exhibitors’ Evening gave the cattle producers participating in the show, organizers who have worked hard to keep the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba going during the COVID-19 pandemic and visiting dignitaries the chance to catch up after a lengthy absence of the kind of events that have brought them together for years.

The choice of beef for dinner was a natural fit given the celebration of all things cattle going on at the Keystone Centre this week.

It’s the first major event the Provincial Exhibition has hosted since Ag Ex in 2019, made possible by the organization’s relentless fundraising that has kept the lights on after it had to cancel two Royal Manitoba Winter Fairs, two Manitoba Summer Fairs and the 2020 Ag Ex.

As the first speaker of the evening, Provincial Exhibition president Greg Crisanti thanked the organization’s staff for making the event possible despite being short-staffed, but he also gave credit to the exhibitors who came back to bring Ag Ex to life once again.

“We’re very glad to have you back,” Crisanti told the crowd. “Things are a little different, so we really appreciate your patience as we work through some safety protocols.”

Show chair Dallas Johnston said there were exhibitors present he knew when they were kids attending the show, and the kids he last saw at the 2019 event have grown like weeds since the last time he saw them.

“People are happy to visit with their friends not only from Manitoba, but there’s people here from Saskatchewan and Alberta,” he said. “Everybody here is a friend of mine. I’ve got to know lots of people with what I do here and it’s great to see them all.”

Providing some introductory remarks was provincial Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. In the afternoon before the show, Eichler expressed excitement about the event’s return in a phone interview with the Sun.

“Thanks to all the board and volunteers that put this show on,” Eichler said. “It’s been 18, 19 months since we’ve been shut down, so this is a first of its size. We’re very pleased with the number of exhibitors that are coming, the number of cattle that are coming. It’s been a tough year on our producers and people who show cattle.”

On a personal note, Eichler said that as someone who used to make a living raising purebred cattle, it was nice to make a return to an event he has attended many times as an exhibitor.

“It’s such a legacy part of Brandon and the ag world as we know it,” he said. “People come from all over to understand how important the show business is for our livestock sectors and those exhibitors who are showing their wares as well.

Ag Ex’s return, he said, is proof that as the province continues the struggle with COVID-19, large-scale events can be held safely.

“The message is clear that we’re open for business and we’re open for the opportunity to take it to a new level,” Eichler said. “It’s going to be a role model. Are we going to try everything we can? Absolutely. Will we make mistakes? Probably. But it’s [more about] what we learn from it, how do we do better next, what it is that we have to improve upon.”

On Eichler’s to-do list is to have a chat with exhibitors about how they’re handling current conditions, which include not just the problems caused by COVID-19, but drought conditions that made it tough for some producers to water their crops and livestock.

“We’re optimistic and we’re hopeful and we’re praying for those moisture levels to come back,” Eichler said. “Rain since August has really helped. A lot of the crops, the grasses, have started to come back, even the hay. That’s going to make a big difference for the start of next year.

“Having said that, our dugouts are still relatively low. We’re hoping for those winter snows to come and hopefully still some fall rains. The weather’s been holding out, so a lot of guys have been leaving their cattle out on the pasture to cut down on some of that overhead.”

At the conclusion of the dinner’s opening remarks, Eichler, Crisanti and Johnston jointly signed a document proclaiming this week as Manitoba Beef Week.

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