Manitoba Ag Ex returning to the Keystone

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This article was published 18/10/2021 (1792 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Marking a triumphant return to the cattle ring, Manitoba Ag Ex is back at the Keystone Centre at the end of October.

The event will look different — and smaller — compared to a typical year, said Ag Ex chair Dallas Johnston, due to COVID-19 public health measures and the drought that hammered Western Canada this year.

“We’re definitely down in numbers for a lot of reasons,” Johnston said. “That’s probably cut our numbers down by a third.”

Preparing for the show has been challenging, but the staff at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba has been working hard and collaborating with Manitoba Health to ensure Ag Ex runs smoothly. Johnston said they are at the mercy of public health measures, but as long as no major changes take place they will be able to adapt as needed.

“There’s big excitement because people want to get out and visit with people again and have an event,” Johnston said. “With the health rules, everybody that’s going to be there is there because they want to be there.”

The show will take place in the north end of the Keystone Centre and will have no horse or rodeo events.

Ag Ex will feature six cattle breed shows: a heifer-calf and a bull-calf jackpot will kick the week off on Oct. 27; three breed shows will take place Oct. 28 and 29; and the Supreme Championship will take place the evening of Oct. 29. Every breed winner at the show will qualify for the Canadian Western Agribition in Regina that features livestock from across North America.

Oct. 30 has been earmarked as a strictly junior show to ensure youth in the community have a special day just for themselves.

“We started to do this a few years ago. It gives them their own day, and it worked well,” Johnston said.

Competitors and visitors of Ag Ex will be required to provide proof of full vaccination, after which people will receive a wristband for the weekend.

Under the current rules, there will be no capacity cap at Ag Ex, although Johnston expects numbers will be down due to public health measures.

Provincial Ex decided to focus on the cattle shows because it proved challenging to host a combined show with horse and rodeo events during COVID-19. Johnston said they have not ruled out bringing back the events in the future but chose this year to focus on cattle to match the revenues expected to be generated at the show.

“This is how it was for a lot of years — the rodeo and the horse events were added in [2016]. It’s going to be the cattle like it used to be,” Johnston said. “People are still looking to showcase their livestock to the industry, and we’re going to do what we can to ensure we give everybody the best opportunity we can to do that.”

Visitors can walk through the barns and safely visit with the cattle in a socially distanced way, Johnston said. He hopes it will be a good experience for those who attend and offer a chance for more urban-based residents to experience the beauty of Manitoba agriculture first hand.

“It can give a lot of people a better idea about where their food comes from,” Johnston said.

As a fundraiser during Ag Ex, Provincial Ex will be selling raffle tickets for a Polaris Ranger. The winner’s name will be drawn Saturday at noon at the facility. Tickets are available at the Provincial Ex office at the Display Building Number II on the Keystone Centre grounds.

Generating revenue has been tough for not only Provincial Ex, but the Keystone Centre as well, due to the lack of events during the pandemic, he said.

Provincial Ex hosted a small midway on the Keystone grounds in September that found success, Johnston said, and they are hoping Ag Ex will allow the non-profit to continue building momentum as the organization recovers from the financial impacts of COVID-19.

“You just always have to think of ways to try and raise money and keep the doors open,” Johnston said. “At this stage of the game success is going to be being able to put on an event again. That is huge.”

Generating income for the organization has been top of mind at Provincial Ex, to ensure the historic non-profit survives COVID-19. The organization has been harmed by the pandemic and, in turn, the loss of annual events.

“Without being able to do a winter fair in two years — that’s our major income. We still have to pay the mortgage and pay staff,” Johnston said. “We’ve had no rental income from our Dome Building. It’s an ongoing challenge to keep moving forward.

“Hopefully, we can get to a point where all the small fairs can get going too, because it’s no doubt going to hurt some of them and hopefully we don’t lose too many. But, it’s the world we’re living in right now, so we’ve got to make the best of it.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

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