The 52nd Canadian Western Agribition was kicked off with the annual burning of the brand on Monday, November 20, the first day of Agribition.
Premier Scott Moe was in attendance to burn the brand alongside retired agricultural reporter, Jim Smalley, who worked at CKRM. He worked for 50 years as an agricultural reporter before retiring in April of this year. He was honoured at Agribition in 2022 when it was announced the newsroom would be called the, “Jim Smalley Newsroom.”
Now, he was back to burn the brand, and offer some words on the opportunity Agribition offers to journalists.
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“Agribition is that big of a show, for every one of you there’s a scoop here every day,” Smalley said at the ceremony.
He says Agribition is a way to showcase what Saskatchewan has to offer.
“Food, fuel and fertilizer is what Saskatchewan offers, and it’s what Agribition showcases to the world,” he said.
Moe says the burning of the brand is one of the coolest things he’s been able to be a part of and spoke about the value Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers bring to the province.
“The ranchers and the farmers that are at this show truly are global leaders,” Moe said. “The industry that they participate in is not only an ethical and sustainable industry, I would say that it is the most ethical and most sustainable industry on earth based right here in Canada.”
In a media scrum, Moe said it’s crucial to honour people like Smalley, because telling the story of agriculture in Saskatchewan is important.
“Our ag industry is a leader globally, but also telling the story of families on the farms in Saskatchewan over decades and how it is, much more than just a food production industry. It’s really a place where many of our youth in this province have grown up, myself included.”
Kim Hextall, president of Agribition, highlighted some of the new things at the show this year, such as Miss Rodeo Agribition. She explains the competitors will have to do things such as horsemanship, public speaking and interviews, and will be evaluated by a panel. The winner will be announced on Wednesday.
Hextall says there’s also many international delegates coming to Agribition this year, from places such as Australia and Mexico. She says it provides local producers a chance to showcase what they’ve got.
“There’s lots of agriculture here for them to see and lots of them will be looking for genetics that they can fit into their own programs when they go back home,” Hextall said in a media scrum.
Historically, the weather becomes bitterly cold during Agribition, which always takes place at the end of November, occasionally into December. However, with the weather looking promising this year, Hextall says it should bring more people through the gates.
“There will be people from across the world and some of them will have been here before but for some of those that haven’t, they’re not even going to find out what really cold weather is like,” Hextall said with a laugh about the international delegates.
