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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MARCH 2018 Ag show attendance down
from record set last year Weather, flu bug to blame in part for no-shows at horticultural short course workshops
by DAVID SCHMIDT
ABBOTSFORD – Attendance at the 2018 Pacific Agriculture Show, January 25-27, was down slightly from prior years but it remains the premier event on the BC agriculture calendar. Attendance at the trade
show totalled about 7,500, down about 2,000 visitors from last year’s record attendance.
Still the biggest by far, the Pacific Agriculture Show was host to more than 7,500 people over three days in January. RONDA PAYNE PHOTO
Despite the lower numbers, trade show co-ordinator Jim Shepard called it another excellent show, rhapsodizing about the Bobcat Square Dance which created quite a stir among visitors. “So good,” Shepard enthused of the synchronized
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Horticultural Improvement Association manager Sandy Dunn reports registrations for the annual short course were down over 150 from last year’s record. She attributed part of the decline to loss of the biogas conference. After about half a dozen years at the PAS, the Canadian Biogas Association opted to hold its Western conference independently this year. In contrast, student
participation increased over previous years.
Dunn admits Saturday “felt
a bit slow” but blames a combination of foul weather and a flu bug. That is partly
confirmed by the registrations. Pre-registrations were up over previous years but the number of people who registered at the door was down. “This has been a good
event as usual,” LMHIA president Harvie Snow told the LMHIA annual meeting Friday afternoon.
LMHIA was flush with cash
at its year-end after a successful 2017 conference and early receipt of funds for the berry-breeding program the association oversees. “This is the first time we’ve seen a bank account this strong. Usually, we have big accounts receivable at year-end,” auditor John Pankratz stated. Although Growing Forward 2 funding for the berry- breeding program ends March 31, LMHIA has agreed to continue being the program’s nominal host if new funding is secured under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. There will be almost no change to the LMHIA board as Grant McMullin (agri- business), Gage Neger (blueberries), Lydia Ryall (organics), James Bergen (raspberries) and Mike Boot (strawberries) were all re- elected by acclamation. Replacing Ria van Eekelen as one of the three field vegetable reps on the LMHIA board will be her son, Marinus. BC Ministry of Agriculture
dairy specialist Tom Droppo reports that about 100 people attended the BC Dairy Expo seminar Thursday morning. Not surprisingly, producers filled the room to learn more about true armyworm and corn rootworm, two pests which decimated last year’s corn and grass forage crops. Droppo admits attendance “started to wane a bit” after those presentations concluded. In contrast, the seven-farm
BC Dairy Farm Self-Tour held the previous day was most successful. Droppo notes Corners Pride Dairy in Rosedale went through more than 2,000 pairs of disposable boots, achieving the highest- ever attendance by a farm tour site. Hoek Holsteins in Agassiz also registered well over 1,000 visitors while Bakerview EcoDairy welcomed about 800 farmers and their friends. Perhaps because of its isolated location in Delta, Hesdon Holsteins was the least-visited site, using only about 300 pairs of boots.
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