Annual Ag Days event set to take place later this month

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By: Lanny Stewart

myWestman.ca

Manitoba Ag Days, considered to be Canada's largest indoor farm show, will once again take place Jan. 21-23 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.

This year's event, which showcases agricultural production, technology and expertise, will include more than 500 exhibitors from across Canada and the U.S.

"We use every available space we can," said Christine Roskos, one of the Ag Days event coordinators. "I don't think there's a square foot that we don't use."

She says the annual event has been a sold out show for numerous years and even includes a waiting list of exhibitors wanting to showcase their products.

"This year during registration, our waiting list was at about 80 exhibitors wanting to get space," she said.

This year's event will include speakers such as Greg Johnson, known as the "Tornado Hunter". Johnson, considered to be one of North America's top professional storm chasers and severe weather experts, is also an accomplished photographer, speaker and author. According to the Ag Days official website, Johnson will speak about  the happiness paradox and will toy with the notion that "we are all much closer than we think to pursuing our passions." Johnson will be speaking at the FCC Theatre on Thursday at 1 p.m.

Roskos says that the Ag Days committee works diligently each year putting together a program and grouping topics and sessions together.

"For example, in the MNP Theatre on Tuesday morning, we're focusing on the human side of farming," she explained. "There are four different topics. We have a speaker coming in from Manitoba Family Services and Labour who is going to deal specifically with workplace health and safety on the farm. Workers Compensation is going to be coming in to talk about how worker's compensation can work with farmers. We also have a couple of speakers coming in to talk about human resources."

Continuing with said theme, speaker Michael Rossman, who is a farmer and clinical psychologist, will be speaking about how to manage stress on the farm.

Other speakers include Gary Smart, a business development specialist from Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Development, who will speak at 9:15 a.m. at the MNP Theatre on Wednesday about cropping options in 2014 and the risk/reward, as well as Mike Poole from Meyers Norris Penny, who will discuss the top 10 tax tips and traps on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. (MNP Theatre).

Another highlight to the event this year will be the return of the Inventor's Showcase Competition and Awards. The idea of the awards is to encourage individuals and companies to develop products that will aid farmers. M.Devloo Manufacturing Ltd. ended up claiming first prize a year ago with its rotating mud scraper for precision seeding. The company received a cheque for $1,000 from Manitoba Ag Days and an advertising package from Manitoba Co-operator. 

Show hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more on Manitoba Ag Days this year, check out their website at www.agdays.com.