Celebrating 125 years of agricultural excellence

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2020 (2273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since 1895, the Cypress River Agricultural Society has been a constant in the small farming community situated between Glenboro and Holland on Highway 2.

With some exceptions, like when the government withdrew funding between 1933 and 1939, the society’s aim to promote improvements in rural living and food production has always culminated in their annual Ag Fair, which usually takes place on the third weekend of July.

In honour of its 125th anniversary, Cypress River residents are aiming to go big for this year’s fair by organizing a car show and parade on top of their usual activities that highlight food, livestock and other facets of everyday farming life.

But to society board member Georgette Hutlet, the 2020 event also serves as a great opportunity to showcase how much the agricultural sector has changed since the end of the 19th century.

Hutlet told the Sun recently that the Cypress River Agricultural Society has always strived to evolve with the times and adjust their programming accordingly.

“Some of the early classes in our fair back to the 1890s included butter making,” she said. “We just don’t have those classes anymore because it’s not something that people do.”

Changing social mores have also given organizers the flexibility to introduce new activities, like baking classes for men and pet shows for general audiences.

“One hundred and twenty-five years ago, we didn’t take our pets to town,” Hutlet said. “They probably had a dog on the farm and some cats, but they were not travelling in a buggy or being pulled by horses to town to be entered into a pet show.”

Of course, remaining relevant in a constantly evolving industry over 125 years is no easy task.

Not only have Manitoba residents increasingly flocked to large urban centres in favour of rural communities, the business of farming has undergone a major transformation, even from the time that Hutlet was growing up.

“The farms have changed very much from when I was a kid, where you had some cattle and you had some horses and chickens and pigs and a little bit of everything,” she said. “Many farms now do not have any type of livestock. They’re straight grain and very different looking on the landscape … where many farms no longer have a barn.”

The fair itself has also been subject to its own share of setbacks, like its aforementioned seven-year hiatus in the 1930s and a huge windstorm that caused extensive damage to the society’s exhibition building in 1973.

But Hutlet said the society has managed to persevere for so long thanks to a long line of passionate volunteers who have poured their heart and soul into making the annual fair a must-see destination in Westman every summer.

“And we have the best pie anywhere, so that’s another highlight,” she said. “Some of the best food you’ll ever find is in Cypress River.”

The 2020 Cypress River Agricultural Society fair is set to take place on the weekend of July 18-19.

Hutlet said the group will be posting more information about this upcoming event to their official Facebook page in the coming weeks and months.

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