HEADING INTO AGRIBITION
In new International Trade Centre
Taylor Spokowski has been going to Agribition since he was five years old.
Now almost 13, he has graduated from goats to cattle as he helps his uncle and his uncle’s company Calico Creek get ready for the 47th annual Canadian Western Agribition.
“I love helping out at Agribition because not many people come as kids, and I just love animals,” Spokowski said.
Spokowski was helping get his uncle’s Speckle Park cattle ready for showing as they set up on Saturday morning in the new International Trade Centre at Evraz Place. His chores include fetching water, washing and drying, spraying, clipping and trimming the cattle.
He said it’s important for young people to go to Agribition.
“They should know where their food comes from,” he said.
“They should know how it’s made.”
There will be no lack of new activities for kids and young adults this year, including goat yoga, mini-chuckwagon racing, steer riding rodeo school and a free horse demonstration by renowned animal trainer Tommie Turvey.
For producers, it will be an opportunity to show off their finest in the new International Trade Centre, which has turned Evraz Place into one of the largest interconnected event complexes in North America.
“I think it’s really nice. They needed to do something like this and I think it really is going to help in the future to keep people coming back,” said Sadie Anwender of Radville. “With those other buildings, it was really hard with all the leaks and cold and everything. It almost put a downer (on Agribition) and wasn’t getting people as excited to come.”
Anwender, 18, has her own herd under the name Me and My Shorthorns. She has been coming to Agribition with her family, the Anwender Cattle Company, for 11 years.
She said the International Trade Centre is a big improvement over previous years, especially in terms of warmth, and has attracted more people, noting that she had heard entries were up by approximately 200 animals this year.
Anwender and her family have six purebred Shorthorns and two Simmental cattle. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Simmental breed in Canada, so they have entered theirs into a large sale made up of 35 to 40 head of cattle and about 15 lots of embryos and semen.
She said she enjoys being able to improve other people’s herds by selling things like semen and embryos from their genetically strong cattle, which will be the family’s focus at Agribition this year.
“It’s helping improve the breed by trying to bring out your best to these shows,” she said.
Also new at Agribition 2017 is the CWA Show Calf Genetics Sale, the International Business Centre (IBC) — a meeting and networking space for international guests — and the Celebrating Women in Agriculture Award, presented by BMO.
Popular attractions back again this year include full contact jousting, pro rodeo and the education program, which will see more than 81,000 student participants.
There will be more than 100 events, 450 trade show booths, 400 volunteers and 2,500 animals including cattle, horses, goats, bison, sheep, turkeys and chickens.
Free transit on the Agribition Express is being offered this year with riders receiving discounted admission, and there will be free admission for all first responders — volunteer or professional — and their families with the proper identification.
Agribition runs Nov. 20-25 at Evraz Place. Visit www.agribition.com for full event details.