Regina, Saskatchewan – This year marks the 40th edition of Canada’s Farm Progress Show, presented by Viterra, which is taking place June 21-23, 2017, at Evraz Place in Regina. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, organizers are adding new programs, theme days and a speaker lineup designed to educate and entertain attendees.

“Canada’s Farm Progress Show is all about connecting people in the agriculture industry,” says Shirley Janeczko, Show Manager. “The show’s main purpose is to connect qualified buyers with sellers, but it also brings attendees together to hear about latest innovations and industry trends.”

Canada’s Farm Progress Show is built on a foundation of innovation, education and collaboration, and this year’s show delivers on all three aspects. The Innovation Awards presented by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) will take place during the opening ceremonies on Tuesday, June 20, to honour the year’s best emerging technologies and innovations. Submissions are evaluated by a panel of industry judges, and the highest-ranked entries will receive either a Gold Standard Award or a Sterling Standard Award. All entries will be on display in the FCC Innovation Centre throughout the show. Learn more about the Innovation Program.

Education will also be a key focus of this year’s show at the Farm Progress Forum presented by FCC. Topics from farm succession planning to entrepreneurialism to the season’s weather forecast are on the agenda. Attendees will hear from Natasha and Elysia Vandenhurk of Three Farmers about their successful business and recent venture back to the Dragons’ Den. The pair have turned their attention from their successful line of camelina oil products into the healthy snack food market.

Drew Lerner, a celebrity of sorts in the agriculture industry, will hit the stage on June 22 to talk about what he predicts Mother Nature will bring for the 2017 growing season. His assessments of crop and weather expectations are relied upon around the world for commodity market trading and to help producers and companies make better agricultural business decisions.

Farm Progress Forum wraps up on June 23 with CBC funny man Rick Mercer who will delight attendees with stories of his travels across the nation to find out what it means to be Canadian. With 2017 being Canada’s 150, Mercer considers his appearance at Canada’s Farm Progress Show to be somewhat of a state-of-the union address, where he’ll share his comical adventures both on and off the farm. Learn more about the Farm Progress Forum.

To celebrate the 40th edition of Canada’s Farm Progress Show, organizers have added new theme days. Wednesday, June 21 is Women in Ag Day with the first-ever Empowering Women conference. All walk-up admissions for women that day will be 40 per cent off. Among the inspiring presenters will be keynote speaker Rachel Miekle, founder of the Hillberg & Berk jewelry empire.

Thursday, June 22 is Young Farmers’ Day featuring the Outstanding Young Farmer Award ceremony and luncheon. Anyone under 40 will receive 40 per cent off gate admissions that day.

The final day of Canada’s Farm Progress Show on Friday, June 23 is Heritage Day, presented by FCC, to celebrate the show’s 40 years of success. Anyone ages 40 and up will receive a 40 per cent discount at the gate. The day’s events will include a pancake breakfast, a cake cutting celebration and tours of new Mosaic Stadium.

Also new to the 2017 edition of Canada’s Farm Progress Show is the Farmyard Inventions competition, presented by Peavey Mart. Canada’s most imaginative inventors will compete for a chance to win a prize valued at $5,000. This new addition to the show is to a throwback to the past, when similar competitions took place.

“Some of today’s renowned manufacturers started out with backyard inventions that are now used around the world,” says Janeczko. “We added the Farmyard Inventions competition to our show to inspire farmers and give them a stage to showcase what could change the future of agriculture forever.” Learn more about the Farmyard Inventions competition.

For more information about Canada’s Farm Progress Show, visit www.myfarmshow.com.

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For more information, please contact:
Paula Kohl, Director of Marketing, Communications & Strategy The Regina Exhibition Association Limited (operator of Evraz Place)
Phone: 306-519-9715
Email: pkohl@evrazplace.com