Canada's Outdoor Farm Show is Sept 13-15 in Woodstock

Gigantic agriculture trade show features more than 750 exhibitors

COFS in 2015 attracted more than 43,000 in attendance

Woodstock and Oxford County are known as the Dairy Capital of Canada.
Next week, Woodstock will be the economy's agricultural sector capital with the annual Canada's Outdoor Farm Show (COFS), Sept. 13-15 (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.) at the city's northwest corner.
I'm not going to write a new piece on the event as I will include a link to my 2015 story below.
I would certainly not make any assumptions that this year's show is the same as the one 52 weeks ago, but as a Woodstock resident I want to reiterate the importance of agriculture and this trade show to our local economy. 

Canada's Outdoor Farm Show is gigantic.
Innovation and re-invention are the best words to use in describing any new or advanced technology in any industry. Many reports have been released on how farmers are increasing the crop yields and better utilizing their acreage in this day and age of 'corporate-like family farms' and dwindling farms due to the urban sprawl. The environment is also extremely important.
The farm show depicts in advancements in all facets of the agriculture economy -- livestock, crops, milk production, egg production, and the machinery and the "machinery' needed to grow the industry.
There are an astounding 750 exhibitors and dozens of demonstrations scheduled.

Admission is $17 for the first day there and $10 if you want to return for a second day, and with the number of possibilities of people to talk to, I would guess it will be a 2-day visit for most farmers, who travel a significant distance usually to attend.

Since the automobile industry (trucks) is related to farming, Toyota and other manufacturers will also be on-site with test drive opportunities.
Another connection to Woodstock and dairy at the farm show is Lely, which has a location in Woodstock so it's also a local employer.

DEMONSTRATIONS (Examples)

From the magazine The Canadian Business Journal, looking back at 2015 show:

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The Canadian Business Journal was at COFS and had an opportunity to catch a birds-eye view of the goings-on and also to speak with Wagner at the event, and again soon after its conclusion.

“We are very pleased that 43,200 people attended the show, especially since many farmers were in the middle of harvest and still managed to take a day to come and see the latest innovations in agriculture,” he says.

It was Wagner and a man named Ginty Jocius who forged a business alliance and are largely credited with getting COFS off the ground with that inaugural show in 1994 and 200 exhibitors and advancing it to the stage it is at today with 750 exhibitors. It has been thanks to their tireless efforts and dedicated staff members who have turned this marquee event into a resounding success. As with any large trade show, a significant amount of debt was accrued in that first year and Wagner remembers very well how difficult it was to secure any type of meaningful financing.

“Ginty pretty much financed the whole thing himself,” Wagner reveals. “It was tough to get anybody to give us much credit in the first four or five years but we got over those hurdles.”

For people involved in the agriculture industry, the name Ginty Jocius is extremely well known. He was viewed as an entrepreneurial visionary who always did what he could to advance the agricultural sector in the eyes of the public and government. He was named Agri-Marketer of the Year by the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association (CAMA) and Alumnus of Honour by the University of Guelph in 1996. Jocius was a tireless campaigner in the political arenas, at both the federal and local levels. He died in 2008 at the age of 61. A memorial waterfall at COFS has been named in his honour.

Jocius and Wagner set up the first three Canadian Outdoor Farms Shows in Burford, Ontario but an opportunity presented itself to lease space at the nearby University of Guelph Woodstock Research Station. The move took place in 1997, and this year’s event marked the 20th show at the Woodstock location.

“We have had a very good relationship with the University of Guelph over the past 20 years. With their expertise, they’ve been a tremendous asset especially with their field demonstration plots and they certainly help us manage all of our fields since they have that equipment,” Wagner says.

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I will again be the farm show -- Thursday is my day as I will be working the grills for the Lions Club of Woodstock. When you're ready for lunch be sure to stop by the giant Lions food tent as its a fundraising cooperative of about a dozen Lions clubs in the region.
Last year, the COFS attendance topped 43,000.
International attendees to COFS 2015 included visitors from Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Mexico, Denmark and India
For more details, call: 1-800-563-5441.
As their slogan says, the COFS is: "Where Farmers Meet"  

LINKS:
http://www.outdoorfarmshow.com/
http://www.outdoorfarmshow.com/2016-exhibitor-list-and-map/
http://www.outdoorfarmshow.com/seed-and-crop-demos/
http://www.heartfm.ca/news/local-news/canadas-outdoor-farm-show-2016/
http://www.cbj.ca/canadas-outdoor-farm-show/
http://www.cowsmo.com/?news=the-22nd-annual-canada-outdoor-farm-and-show-was-a-success

2015 BLOG:
http://markroyallepage.blogspot.ca/2015/09/canadas-outdoor-farm-show-is-sept-15-17.html

FACEBOOK:
Canada's Outdoor Farm Show
TWITTER:
@outdoorfarmshow

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