YOUNG FARMERS
Manitoba young
farmers get together for
camaraderie and learning
On a clear July morning, a crew of 21 young
farmers boarded a chartered bus in Oak Bluff
and headed northwest of Saskatoon, eager
to arrive at the largest outdoor agricultural
trade show in Western Canada: Ag in Motion.
Spanning 320 acres, the fifth annual
expo ran from July 16 to 19, featuring interactive technology
exhibits, as well as live field and crop plot demonstrations
using an array of agricultural products and services.
“It was big,” said Collin Penner, trip organizer and cochair
of Manitoba Young Farmers Committee. “I don’t think
we saw half of it.”
Penner said KAP vice-president Jill Verwey suggested the
idea to the committee a few months prior. It just so happened
that the group was looking to do “something educational, fun,
and that builds relationships,” so Penner took the reins and
ran with the idea.
“I thought, ‘Let’s make this an absolute no-brainer to help
young farmers to come,’” said Penner, 34.
Part of that streamlining effort was to keep costs low.
“The trip cost a hundred dollars (per person), which I thought
was a good number to work from,” Penner said.
KAP’s program manager Thea Green was also “a huge
help” lining up the bus for the young farmers.
BY JILL WINZOSKI
Amidst the machinery and the technology that Ag in Motion had to offer,
young farmers stopped to look at a demo plot of canary seed.
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Penner says the group did not even see half of the 320-acre site, and is already
thinking about expanding next year’s trip from two days to three.
Manitoba Farmers’ Voice § Fall 2019 § 33