NLFA delighted with record Agriculture Expo attendance
/by Merv Wiseman
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture (NLFA) is delighted with the record attendance at the annual Agriculture Expo in Corner Brook and Grand Falls-Windsor. The show took place at the Corner Brook Civic Centre on Sept. 27-29 and the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium in Grand Falls-Windsor on Oct. 18-20, both Friday through Sunday.
Attendance increased 48 percent in Corner Brook, growing from 4,669 last year to 6,906 this year. Friday night’s numbers had the sharpest increase, with 79 percent more attendees than the same night last year on the west coast of the province.
Similarly, in Grand Falls-Windsor where the show has now taken place for three consecutive years, we experienced growth of more than 30 percent from last year, with almost 4,000 people attending this year. And last year’s attendance at the show in that region was 15 percent higher than the first year’s attendance, demonstrating steady growth.
Both iterations of the show featured exhibits from various sectors of the province’s agriculture industry, and had a full slate of vendors selling local vegetables, eggs, cheese, pork, beef, lamb, sauces, berries, and other local agriculture products. Attendees also took in cooking demonstrations using fresh local produce, a petting farm, an interactive milking cow, a chick hatchery, and more.
The event provided a great showcase for our industry in two regions of the province, and the support from the public was incredible this year, as record numbers of people came through and purchased significant amounts of local products. The message of supporting local producers and the local economy was received loud and clear in both the central and west coast regions of the province this year.
Admission for the Ag Expo this year was by donation only, which is thought to be a major reason for the show’s growth. All proceeds from the Corner Brook show went to the 4-H Rockets of Summerside. That group raised more than $8,000, which will go toward valuable youth programming. The Grand Falls-Windsor show supported the 4-H Pendragons of Northern Arm, and that group raised more than $4,000 to support its activities.
The 2019 Agriculture Expo was supported in part by the NLFA and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
(Merv Wiseman is president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture. He owns M&E Fur Farm, a Silver fox farm in North Harbour, Placentia Bay.)
