Last week was Canada’s Farm Show. Here’s what you missed.
By Haley Bilokraly
Farms.com Intern
June 22 was the final day of Canada’s Farm Show 2023.
The busy three-day farm show has come to a close, but not without an eventful third day.
Day three of Canada’s Farm Show was themed Education & Young Farmers Day. Young attendees filled the venue as the first 500 farmers under the age of 40 were given free access to the show on Thursday.
Given the theme of the third day, it was fitting that many topics discussed during the show were centered around the future of farming. This includes innovative product launches, conversations on sustainability, presentations regarding generational gaps in farming, discussions on mental health, and an agriculture career fair.
Early in the day, David McInnes from DMci Strategies took the CFS stage to discuss how sustainability is measured and share a new tool to align the entire sector on sustainability. This has been named the National Index on Agri-Food Performance and it is made of four views: environment, economics, food integrity, and societal wellbeing.
Another important conversation had on the final day was by Tyler Heppell about bridging the gap between modern and traditional farming. Tyler is the Production Manager for his family farm, Heppell’s Potatoes, and has amassed a large following on Tik Tok as Potato Ty.
During his presentation, Heppell stressed the importance of innovation on a farm and reminded attendees of the three-year rule... “if an innovation can pay for itself in three years, pull the trigger on it right away”.
The show was a success with over 20,000 visitors and attendees from more than 50 countries.