Agriculture equipment and technology were the focus of this Alberta Agriculture and Forestry trade mission to California and Kentucky.
The Alberta mission covered the World Ag Expo in California from February 11 to 13, 2020 and the National Farm Machinery Show in Kentucky from February 14 to 15, 2020. These expos are two of the largest agricultural equipment and technology shows in the U.S. More than 1,400 exhibitors and 106,000 attendees participated at the World Ag Expo while the National Farm Machinery Show featured more than 800 exhibitors, including a large contingent of Canadian equipment and technology companies.
Three equipment manufacturers - The TireGrabber, Kello-Built and Hunterwood Technologies - and 2 technology companies - Livestock Water Recycling and Agra-GPS - made up the Alberta delegation.
“Alberta exported over $82 million worth of agricultural equipment to the U.S. in 2019,” said Etienne van Straaten, trade and relations officer with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF). “As Alberta’s largest export market for agricultural equipment, these shows present an ideal opportunity to promote Alberta’s equipment and technology sectors.”
The World Ag Expo featured a large contingent of agricultural technology exhibitors, which provided a valuable insight into advances made in the application of technology in agriculture. Several of the seminars presented during the show also covered various topics related to agricultural technology. These seminars afforded AF and Alberta company representatives a chance to connect with international companies at the forefront of technological developments.
“The educational opportunities at World Ag Expo are second to none. This quality event is attended by all of the major stakeholders in the agriculture industry, and this mission further developed our connection with the market. During the show we were able to gain market insights and explore funding opportunities for our equipment,” said Karen Schuett, CEO and co-founder of Livestock Water Recycling.
The National Farm Machinery Show featured more than 40 Canadian exhibitors, including some Alberta companies that had their own exhibition space. This show provided a good insight into the equipment and technology needs of crop and hemp farmers in the U.S. It highlighted which Alberta companies would have a competitive edge in the eastern U.S. AF and a representative from the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in the U.S. also had a productive meeting with the Kentucky Commissioner (Minister) for Agriculture, which afforded an opportunity to highlight Alberta’s equipment and technology sectors, as well as investment opportunities in the province.
Source : alberta.ca