Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

First Canadian Dairy Expo In Stratford A Big Hit, 11,600 Attendees

Canadian Dairy Expo News Release.

 

In a CTV interview, one producer from New Brunswick stated that the Canadian Dairy XPO was like “the dairy industry on steroids” and that he had “never seen the likes of this, here in Canada”.

“That producer statement fits the original vision of CDX” states expo Founder & GM Jordon Underhill. “The idea was to drive maximum value and wow factor for the dairy producer and family. After all, these are the people helping to feed the nation and deserve only the best”. 

Simply mention the words ‘dairy expo’ in any Canadian dairy community today and hear firsthand the genuine feedback and experience on the inaugural Canadian Dairy XPO. There is a buzz in the barn and mass enthusiasm around the 2014 event. The expo was held the first week of February at the Stratford Rotary Complex, Stratford Ontario. 

Massive crowds of dairy producers and pick up trucks congested the Stratford streets, parked on all roads up to 3km away. Farmers trenched through snow banks and slushy sidewalks to grab an early morning buttermilk pancake breakfast and finally experience the most talked about dairy show since the World Dairy Expo, held annually in Madison Wisconsin. 

CDX reports 89% of individuals that came through the gate were active dairy producers and 86% came with their families. A family affair, that mixed big business with a social element of a grass roots meeting place. Producers came from afar, with 22% traveling over 150km to attend and reported producer representation from 6 Canadian provinces and 11 countries.  

Attending producers came armed with $10 off admission coupons, compliments of exhibiting companies and CDX. They received significant value for the $15 admission.

“Our main marketing thrust was to drive a quality audience to the inaugural CDX” states Donna Powell, CDX marketing manager.  “We reduced the cost of admission for the producers, which are customers of our exhibitors. We created personalized admission coupons which our exhibitors distributed via their dairy databases. The top 3 exhibiting companies with the most redeemed coupons are Grand Valley Fortifiers, Ag Sourcing and Progressive Dairyman magazine. These 3 companies and many others went above and beyond to promote the inaugural CDX and we will ask them to rally again for 2014”.

“These dairy producers finally had a chance to experience what was long overdue for our Canadian dairy industry” states Underhill. “Attendance on our first day was 7,900 and the second day was 3,600; representing 11,600 dairy producers and family members. This figure does not include exhibitors, children under 6 or CheeseFEST attendees. That’s a lot of quota passing through in just a 16 hour period”.

The City of Stratford Facility Manager stated that the complex has never seen this volume of vehicles. Not even for established national events such as Skate Canada, The Tanker and Microsoft 3.0. 

Hard to comprehend when there are just over 4,000 dairy producers in the province of Ontario. “The family turnout was incremental; they came from both in-province and out of province. We also believe there was a number of producers that attended for both days”, states BriteSpan Cow Coliseum manager, Val Jones. 

The atmosphere in the BriteSpan Cow Coliseum felt like home to dairy producers. The massive free-span structure was built specifically for companies to showcase live, their innovation and leading genetics. 

Companies such as Drench-mate and Golden Calf Co. traveled across the border to perform live demonstrations with their leading innovations around rumen juice extraction and colostrum management. The four robot powerhouses stood strong and stayed actively engaged with producers for the duration of CDX. One genetic company in the BriteSpan Cow Coliseum reported the highest sales activity of any event in company’s history.  

Opening night in the BriteSpan Cow Coliseum also hosted a complimentary public CheeseFEST event. Hundreds of platters bearing high quality cheeses from four dairy species - cow, goat, water buffalo and sheep were available for sample. Celebrity Chef Jason Bangerter and Chef Lynn Crawford played off each other and performed a candid, live cheese cooking demonstration filled with plenty of comic relief.  

A significant fundraising campaign for 4-H youth was conducted throughout the dairy expo, raising over $10,000. Perth and Oxford County 4-H kids were a big help in the BMO Homegrown Kitchen, pumping out homemade milkshakes and grill cheese sandwiches. GenerVations gave away a high genomic testing heifer calf and in addition donated over $5,000 to the Wellington County Dairy Club. CDX also made a 3-year commitment to a dairy youth travel bursary of $2,500 administered though the Stratford Ag Society. The annual winner will get an interactive trip to the World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI.  

Canadian Dairy XPO dates for 2014 are February 5th and 6th. Anyone who had doubts about the inaugural project, now look to the 2014 CDX with immense optimism. It was built and dairy producers came!

Views: 522

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by OntAG Admin on February 18, 2013 at 11:38am

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Guinness World Record attempt to take place in St. Albert on Aug. 22

?ST. ALBERT – If you have ever wanted to witness an attempt at a Guinness World Record, then you will want to be in St. Albert, Ontario on August 22 when an attempt will be made to set a record for the most plow blades pulled simultaneously.

Why Alignment Matters: Domestic Check-Off and the Import Levy

When Canadian beef producers sell cattle, they contribute to the national beef check-off. That investment supports work that benefits the broader Canadian beef industry, including market development, consumer demand, public and stakeholder engagement, and research. When beef or beef cattle are imported into Canada, an import levy is also collected. While the structure is not identical in every detail, the principle behind it is straightforward: beef marketed in Canada should help contribute to the programs that support beef demand in Canada. The national check-off paid by producers and the import levy paid on eligible imports are two parts of a broader investment approach. Together, they help ensure that both domestic beef production and imported beef products are connected to the market development work that strengthens beef’s position with Canadian consumers. For producers, the domestic cattle check-off is collected at the point of sale and includes both national and provincial po

I’ve noticed a lot of wild oat escapes in some of my fields this year; what can I do to prevent it from getting worse next year?

Despite our best efforts, sometimes even the best laid weed control plans go wrong! The first thing to remember is that not all weed escapes are created equal. In some cases, weeds can survive because of application timing issues, challenging weather conditions or late flushes that emerge after spraying. However, when weeds aren’t controlled by herbicide applications, herbicide resistance should also be on your radar. A recent survey in Manitoba found that in fields with uncontrolled wild oats, 100 per cent of populations were resistant to Group 1 products, 82 per cent were resistant to Group 2 products, and 82 per cent were resistant to both Group 1 and 2 herbicides. Those numbers show how important it is to take a closer look at wild oat weed escapes. Identifying why your herbicide failed to control wild oats is the first step toward finding a solution. Start by scouting the field to narrow down the cause. Consider factors such as application timing, weather conditions, late flush

Is fungicide actually effective on Sclerotinia head rot in sunflower?

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because there are many things to consider. I also don’t want to be outright negative because we do still have options for sclerotinia management in sunflowers. However, management is the operative word. First of all, sclerotinia head rot infections have an interesting pathway. Spores use dead sunflower florets, plus pollen, as the base to infect a sunflower plant. The spores grow into the receptacle, infecting and decaying the entire head after a period of time. Sclerotinia wilt (basal stalk rot) and mid-stalk rot are also infected by the same sclerotinia species, but it will be via the mycelia that grow from the sclerotia bodies in the soil for basal stalk rot. Mid-stalk rot is also infected by ascospores, but this can be earlier in the season than head rot or at the same time. So, management of sclerotinia does not start at flowering. Crop rotation is the most obvious management tool that we are familiar with in sunflowers, but

Using Water More Efficiently in Beef Packing Plants

Packing plants use a time-tested approach to clean their facilities. The first step uses high-pressure hot water to remove fat and meat scraps from equipment, floors and walls. Next, surfaces are cleaned using detergent. Finally, sanitizers are used to further reduce bacterial numbers. Processing companies want to reduce water use as part of their environmental goals and to reduce energy bills. High-pressure water and steam can produce aerosols that capture bacteria and spread them throughout the plant. They can then settle on and cross-contaminate clean surfaces long after the cleaning has been completed, which complicates efforts to effectively clean facilities. Biofilms are another problem. Biofilms are colonies of bacteria surrounded by a protective layer that firmly attaches them to surfaces and shelters the bacteria from hot water, detergents and sanitizers. Biofilms are hard to remove and are commonly found in hard-to-reach places. These researchers investigated potential cro

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service