SASKATOON -- What started out as a one-building show 37 years ago has now become one of the most popular agricultural tradeshows in western Canada.
"We started in one building, the Jubilee Building … the snow kind of came in the door and sometimes it rained and now we're in 235,000 square feet of tradeshow space and every foot of it is full," said Lori Cates, manager of the Western Canadian Crop Production Show at Prairieland Park.
"We've had exhibitors that have been here for 37 years consecutively, it’s amazing that people come back for that many years in a row. Obviously we're doing something right."
In 2020, Calgary-based Verge made its first appearance at the crop show, marketing the company's First Pass technology - a solution to help farmers map out a seeding path.
Wilson Acton with Verge said they map out a farmer's field and a virtual map with GPS lines, which is fed into the equipment automatically.
After a difficult harvest in 2019, he said there is growing optimism for the 2020 growing season.
Meanwhile, Vaderstad has spent the past three years improving its tablet interface and sensor technology for use in the seeding process.
"On this device you can monitor your fan speed, packing pressure, you can tell how much is still in your tank and when you're reaching the end of your field you can empty out your tank and put new product in without having to do all the cleanup," said Daryl Francis, infield service manager.
"It allows you to take your control system out of the tractor."
Organizers expect 23,000 people through the gate at Prairieland Park, and Cates said average attendance has stayed relatively the same over the past few years.
