New dairy trade show planned for Stratford

by DAVE PINK

Dairy farmers from across Canada are being invited to Stratford next February for the first-ever Dairy XPO — a combination trade show, educational forum and equipment demonstration.

“There is nothing else like this in Canada, and there is a need in the market for a national dairy showcase like this,” Jordon Underhill, a partner in the company that is mounting the event, said in an interview. “It will be good for the dairy industry, and good for Stratford.”

Plans for the Dairy XPO were announced Thursday at Stratford’s Rotary Complex, the twin-arena and community hall centre that will host the event on Feb. 6 and 7. It will be the first of at least three annual dairy shows to be held in Stratford, promises Underhill.

“We realize we’re in for three years of slugging it out. It’s not unlike any other new business,” he said. But, “there’s 3,000 dairy farmers living within a one-hour radius of Stratford, so we think it’s reasonable to expect about 4,000 people here over the two days.”

Holstein Canada and Jersey Canada are already committed to participating in the show, along with several other dairy industry firms.

“We’re excited about this. We share the vision,” Brian O’Connor, of EastGen breeding services, said at the announcement ceremony. “What’s really impressed us early on was how they brought together the major stakeholders in the industry.”

“This is an excellent opportunity,” said Herman DeBoer, of Jay-Lor feeding systems. “We jumped in right away.”

“This seems to be a project that fits perfectly with the mandate of Jersey Canada,” said Kathryn Kyle, the organization’s manager. “It has a very promising future.”

“It makes sense,” said Alain Lajeunesse, the manager of market development for Holstein Canada.

Underhill, who also runs Canada’s Fruit & Veg Tech X-Change show that launched last year in Norfolk County, said he’s been wanting to mount a dairy industry show for about 10 years, since he and his partner, Talo Tamminga, first visited a similar event in Madison, Wisconsin. “I asked, Why don’t we have an event like this in Canada?” he said.

Underhill admits borrowing ideas from the Wisconsin show, and other similar shows in Europe, but insists this will be a uniquely Canadian event, and that the educational component of Dairy XPO will set it apart from other shows.

“The need is there because as time goes by this industry keeps getting more complex,” says Jack Rodenburg, a former training co-ordinator with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Rodenburg has signed on to oversee the educational and workshops component of this show. “It’ll be challenging. Trade shows tend not to have educational components, so it’s good to hear that’s going to be a priority.

“In terms of doing education for dairy farmers, it used to be a local thing. It used to be that dairy farmers couldn’t afford time away for training. That was certainly the case in the past. But as the dairy industry has evolved with technology, that’s changed.”

In addition to the trade show displays and workshops, farm visitors can take a close-up look at robot milking operations and other innovations.

As well, the general public is being invited to a Cheesefest networking social on opening night, featuring an assortment of Ontario cheeses along with products from the province’s wineries and microbreweries, to allow interaction between food producers and consumers.

“We feel there is still a disconnect between producers and consumers and we want to bridge that gap,” said Underhill. “It is really important that we build a culture around this event.” BF