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: 487

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

Crop Undercount Raises Questions About Reliability of U.S.D.A. Data

The Agriculture Department projected last July that farmers would harvest 86.8 million acres of corn in autumn. The projection was repeatedly revised upward until, in January, the department found 1.3 million more acres of corn — an area larger than Delaware — and concluded that the final amount harvested was 91.3 million acres. “It was a miss. No other way to call it,” said Seth Meyer, who served as the department’s chief economist until leaving in December. The 5 percent undercount may seem small, but it was the department’s worst projection in recent memory. It came as the Trump administration was cutting staff at the Agriculture Department and as President Trump’s trade war raised prices for equipment and hurt exports. Some people in agriculture have become increasingly worried about the reliability of department data. That skepticism could lead to a breakdown of the historically close relationship between the department and farmers it serves, they said. “U.S.D.A. always had a

Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time. “April will go down as one of the wettest on record, and that moisture has helped ease drought conditions for the majority of the state,” said Secretary Naig. “Looking ahead, the forecast trends a bit cooler and drier through the first few weeks of May, which should give farmers a longer window to keep the planters running.” Crop Report There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 3, 2026, which is 1.0 day more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent ade

Ten years of Canadian agricultural innovation through EMILI

This year marks the tenth anniversary of EMILI (Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative), the culmination of a group of community leaders working towards a common goal: to grow Canada’s economy, with a specific focus on advancing agtech in the Prairies. Jacqueline Keena, Managing Director, explained that EMILI “is an industry-led non-profit committed to driving agriculture innovation, partnership, and engagement. We provide innovators access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector.” At the heart of it all are the partnerships that EMILI cultivates between producers, industry leaders, investors and innovators. These stakeholders work together “to grow a sustainable, economically resilient digital agriculture industry.” This work is done in a number of ways. “We know that Canadian agriculture can lead the world through transformative innovati

This is Agriculture: Field Trial Modernization Scientist

As a field trial modernization scientist at Corteva Agriscience, Dr. Kevin Falk is dedicated to improving the way field scientists work. The lead on Corteva Agriscience’s spray drone trials taking place at EMILI’s Innovation Farms, Falk holds an M.Sc from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Agronomy from Iowa State University, and an Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate from Transport Canada. Here, Falk shares his path to becoming a field scientist, the importance of relationships in building his career, and some keen observations about the digital agriculture industry. Describe your job or product in one sentence. I build digital tools and workflows that help agricultural scientists work faster, smarter, and with better data, including AI models, drone systems, and automation platforms. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in Carman, Manitoba, a town of about 3,000 people that punches way above its weight as an agric

Grain Bin Emergencies Turn Deadly in Seconds, but Training Can Save Lives

Grain entrapment kills within seconds, but a decade-long partnership between CASA and G3 is helping farmers and first responders prevent fatal accidents.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service