By Michael Joel-Hansen

Western Canadian Agribition right around the corner

Oct 31, 2018 | 1:30 PM

It is almost November which means the Canadian Western Agribition is right around the corner.

The beef and livestock trade show will run from Nov. 19 to 24 in Regina and for the second year Bruce Holmquist of Kinistino will be serving as the president for the event.

This will be the second year that the event will be held at the International Trade Centre at Evraz Place in Regina. Holmquist said the new $37 million facility makes it easier to put on the event as the facility can host activities and livestock.

“That was a welcome addition,” he said.

The new facility was as important according to Holmquist as the previous buildings used to host the event were outdated and truly in need of being replaced.

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“It’s a state of the art building that brought that brought to the show into the age we needed to be in,” he said. “I think we’re maintaining our size and presence.”

Looking at the cattle industry overall, Holmquist, who himself is a producer, believes the outlook is a positive one when looking at beef prices.

“Certainly we’re not being overpaid, but of course there’s a limit to what the consumer can pay,” he said.

Holmquist said the beef market is also looking better now that most farmers have been able to get their crop off of the field, as much of the crop is used by producers to feed their livestock over the winter.   

“A lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief over that,” he said.

Looking into the future, Holmquist believes challenges to the industry come from changes in regards to government regulations, specifically the federal carbon tax.  

“Anything that adds extra cost to food production is a burden on the producers and ultimately in some cases adds to the cost of food for consumers,” he said.

Western Canadian Agribition is as well an important opportunity for the livestock industry to reach out to members of the general public and engage them about the industry and its inner workings.

“We have to sometimes use Agribition and other avenues available to us to make sure we educate and keep the consumer informed of the reality of food production,” Holmquist said.  

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn