The Monday night ceremony at Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus in Saskatoon celebrated winners across five categories: agronomics, agtech, business solutions, environmental sustainability and equipment.

See all Agriculture in Motion coverage on the show landing page.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe opened the night by speaking to the importance of innovation in agriculture.

“It’s quite incredible when you think about how agriculture production systems have advanced,” Moe said.

“I think back to the days of crop breeding … Now I see genetically modified crops and CRISPR technology, we see some of the most advanced crop production systems in the world.”

ATP nutrition took home the first award in the agronomics category for its Synergro G3 biostimulant, the first granular biostimulant derived from a consortium of biological metabolites. It is designed to be applied with granular fertilizers at the time of planting.

Next In the agtech category, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Daryl Harrison presented the prize to Canadian farm equipment maker PhiBer Manufacturing for its Dash drone carrier, an all-in-one system which includes built-in flight deck and control tower. It can service up to four drones simultaneously.

Risk solutions company AG13 Risk Services won the business solutions category for its ForwardProtect, AgriEnhance and FarmElevate systems. These three digital services help producers price crop yield risk, offload the risk of forward contracting and manage particular needs in insurance coverage. Corman Park Reeve Joe Hargrave presented the award.

Langham Mayor Randall Kary delivered the environmental sustainability award to Green Lighting and Nytro’s Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, intended to be a healthier and more sustainable way to feed nitrogen to crops. The system allows farmers to produce salt-free nitrate fertilizer on their farms.

Finally, agriculture equipment company Thunderstruck and manufacturer Shoup Manufacturing took home the equipment award for the Razors Edge Concaves. This product is designed to improve harvesting efficiency and grain quality by eliminating the need for crop-specific concaves.

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The German based company expanded to North America in November 2024, and will soon be holding the Canadian Dairy Expo (CDX) on April 2-3 in Stratford, Ont. A trade show in the United States is set to take place in Vermont in November.

Starting her role in February 2025, Schmidt-Machinek is responsible for managing DLG’s activities on the North American continent, including Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

In addition to trade fairs, DLG North America “will be offering the region’s farmers access to technical solutions and best-practice knowledge, enabling informed investment decisions.”

Schmidt-Machinek has worked with DLG for more than 25 years, most recently as project manager for Agritechnica — the world’s largest exhibition for agricultural machinery held annually in Germany.

In her new role, Schmidt-Machinek will lead the transfer of DLG’s relevant exhibition and agricultural expertise to North America.

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Moyer and Wallace’s wish list included 36 sheep, three horses, eight beef animals, nine dairy cows, and a few sows and piglets.

And here’s why the animals needed to be docile. They were to be trucked down the Gardiner Expressway to Exhibition Place, where Moyer and Wallace’s staff would get them bedded down at the CNE Farm to stay from August 16 to September 2.

About 1.6 million people go to the Canadian National Exhibition every summer. Most of them are (misguidedly) focused on roller coasters, food trucks, casinos and concerts. But for families with small children and anyone interested in agriculture, the CNE Farm is a great break from a busy day at the Ex.

And when these visitors have questions, Moyer and Wallace and their staff are ready with answers.

• RELATED: Welcome to the farm show (An Ag in Motion documentary)

Best summer job ever

With one year of this under their belts, Moyer and Wallace were excited to put the CNE Farm together again for 2024. For this daughter-father team, the farm is an extension of their commitment to their local agricultural society, just on a slightly bigger scale.

When the CNE first approached them to ask if they were interested in this challenge, Moyer recalls,
“I thought they were joking.”

But there was no way she and her father would turn down this opportunity. With Moyer running her own ag company, Barn Door Communications, and Wallace pulling back from full-time farming, they could work it into their schedules. And they’re both believers in the importance of connecting with people at local fairs.

When Moyer was growing up, taking her 4-H calves to the Fergus Fair, near Guelph, had been her favourite fall activity, and Moyer and Wallace are still active volunteers with the Fergus Agricultural Society.

• RELATED: Young ones in the ring at Ag Ex

Their connections with local farmers gave them the network they needed to source animals and staff for the CNE. Wallace found most of the animals, and Moyer took charge of the staff.

This year, the farm crew was made of up 22 young people, all kids from rural communities near Fergus who raised their own livestock and thought they could explain farm life to visitors at the CNE.

Moyer and Wallace literally “brought the farm to the city.” The two of them, their staff, and enough livestock for a small ark lived together on the CNE grounds through all 18 days of the fair. The CNE supplied air-conditioned trailers for sleeping and a kitchen with two refrigerators, but Moyer brought her own deep freeze and Wallace hauled a barbecue along.

During the day, Moyer kept eight or 10 staff on hand to look after the animals and answer visitors’ questions. When they weren’t on shift, the kids set off to explore the CNE, trying new foods, attending concerts and soaking in the big city atmosphere. Many of these kids were away from their families for the first time (except, of course, for Moyer’s own two children). All of them made long-term friendships, learned to take responsibility, and had a great time at this weird, farm-themed summer camp.

The kids had their freedom, but every evening when Wallace fired up the barbecue they came home to the farm. “Everyone comes together and has a meal together,” Wallace says. Like any farmer ready for crunch time, Moyer had her freezer filled with pre-made casseroles and kid-favourite desserts.

It was a lot easier for Moyer to put her team together this year, the second time around. The first time when she asked local farm families if she could take their kids as young as 14 to the Ex for three weeks, the parents had several questions. “There’s a lot of trust,” Moyer says. But last year’s staff quickly came together as a team. “They were all responsible for each other,” she says. “They learned about speaking to the public, and they gained responsibility. They had stamina!”

Most of the last year’s staffers came back this year, eager to reconnect with their friends. Four of the kids not only came back, but also brought their 4-H calves. “They were feeding them every day and washing them,” Moyer says. “It’s cool to see the pride they take in that.”

Every night around the dinner table Moyer and Wallace asked questions, such as “What was the best conversation you had today?” or “What was the funniest thing you saw?” Some days the kids were surprised by how little urban people know about animals. Other days they were surprised by city people’s clothes. Sometimes, Moyer says, it was little things — “like people watching a cow poo and freaking out.”

The solid truth

Most people stopping by the farm are just happy to see animals. “Where are the babies?” is a common question.

“You’re going on the rides. You’re eating some crazy food, and the conversations are pretty high level,” Moyer says. Fair-goers on a break between wasabi ice cream and the Zipper don’t bring up many controversial topics like vegetarianism or climate change. “Most of the time they just want to know what that animal is,” Moyer says.

It’s easy to forget that not every Canadian has seen a real live pig. “They want to know how old the animals are, and if the animals have a name,” Moyer says.

Many new Canadians enjoy the farm. “I find a lot of them have those roots in their home countries and so they want to come and talk to a farmer,” Moyer says. “Even though they were raised on a farm, they’re not working in agriculture here in Canada. They’re able to come and connect and talk to their kids and say, ‘I used to milk these cows at home.’”

“We have a global audience here,” she says. “How great is that, that we can share our stories together?”

Of course, not everyone is a fan. A handful of protesters turned up, mostly outside the gates, to raise animal welfare issues. CNE security were prepared for disruptions and so were Moyer and Wallace.

“Any agricultural event or anywhere you’re showcasing livestock tends to attract some attention in one way or another. That is the reality of exhibiting, anywhere you go, especially in a large urban area.”

There was no protest action dramatic enough to rate media coverage this year, but the kids were paying attention. “It was an eye-opener for our staff,” Moyer says.

Full circle

The CNE began as an agricultural fair in 1879, when it was called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition and admission cost a quarter. Across the rest of the province, agricultural societies have been putting on fairs since even earlier. At one time, Ontario had more than 500 annual fairs.

In 2024 it costs $26.55 to get into the Ex. And Ontario is down to 212 fairs. But these events still bring people together and they still showcase agriculture, to one degree or another.

Rural Ontario is still tightly linked to the CNE too. Since 1971, young representatives from fairs across Ontario have met at the CNE to compete for the annual position of “Ambassador of the Fairs.” The winner travels to fairs across the province and serves as Ambassador for the CNE.

Moyer held this title in 2004. She represented the Fergus Fall Fair and won the competition to become CNE ambassador. She’s taken part in one way or another every year since.

“I was a chaperone for years and gave seminars about things like public speaking,” she says. “It’s great to give back.”

The CNE is a whole different level than small local fairs, but Moyer sees similarities. “It takes people, and it takes that love and commitment.”

Moyer and Wallace plan to take animals and staff to the CNE Farm again in 2025. “Just like a volunteer at a local fair,” Moyer says. “You kind of get roped in.”

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Set around the events of the 2024 Ag in Motion, which takes place every July near Langham, Sask. and is one of the biggest farm shows in Western Canada, the first episode is called “Working Cattle,” and focuses on the cattle producers who attend Ag in Motion and the equipment that is shown at Ag in Motion for the cattle sector.

Rob O’Connor, show director of Ag in Motion, said at the launch that he was very excited to see the first episode of the documentary go live.

“To have something this dedicated to the show out there for people to see, and to listen to the different people who participate at the show and how it affects them, it’s kind of cool,” he said following the premiere.

The first episode features O’Connor both on his ranch and at Ag in Motion, working to make the event run smoothly. It also features Canadian Cattlemen editor Lisa Guenther, Glacier FarmMedia lead of exhibit sales and programming Melonee Ochitwa and many people within the industry.

O’Connor said Ag in Motion is a pinnacle of the agriculture industry, and so it is important to showcase it in this way.

“I think it’s an opportunity for the industry to showcase what’s out there for the people who are investing in that industry and producing the ingredients that go into our food,” he said.

“I just really like the focus on how the different aspects of the livestock industry, whether it’s the manufacturers or the livestock producers, are benefiting from (Ag in Motion). The trade show aspect is about business, but it does more than that. It’s not just creating business, it’s also supporting the lifestyle of those people.”

The episode went live on YouTube Nov. 27 following the launch event. The second episode, focusing on equipment, will be privately launched at the Western Canadian Crop Production show in January, with the third episode to follow in February.

“I’m really excited about how we’re going to probably see the next two episodes evolve into how many more people are affected by the show, and the positive outcomes that it gives to the community and to those people’s businesses,” O’Connor said.

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During a press conference the evening of Nov. 5, 2024, before the opening day of the show, officials with FederUnacoma spoke to several challenges in the global agricultural sector such as weak farm equipment sales, labour shortages, how climate change is hurting productivity and how new technologies are one piece of the puzzle to help overcome these challenges.

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Rob O’Connor, COFS show director, said the show’s dynamic nature is on display this year.

“There’s nothing ‘always the same’ at this show,” he told attendees at the opening ceremony of the thirty-first annual show.

He noted that one of the key changes this year was an expanded “international effort” aimed at attracting international buyers to Canadian farm equipment manufacturers.

“We expect it to continue to grow in the coming years,” he said.

One of the dignitaries speaking at the launch was Senator Rob Black, who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee and is author of “Critical Ground”, a recent report on soil health in Canada. He touted the importance of using innovation and technology to meet the sustainability challenges Canadian farmers face. He noted the importance of agriculture and the need to ensure it has the tools it needs to succeed.

“Through innovation, collaboration and strong leadership, agriculture will overcome these challenges and build a bright future for Canadian farmers,” he said.

Next to take the stage was Rob Flack, Ontario minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness, who noted that agriculture in Ontario is an overlooked powerhouse. The long-time agri-business executive called on all attendees to promote the sector, noting it contributed $51 billion to Ontario’s economy last year, and was quickly growing.

He added that the sector employed 871,000 people in 2023, accounts for one in nine jobs in the province, and total employment in food and beverage exceeds that of the auto sector.

“That’s why it is so important to invest — not spend, invest — in our farmers and food industry,” Flack said.

A major focus of the show is farm equipment, and O’Connor noted that Canada is a major player in this industry, and Ontario leads the country in export sales of equipment.

Bob Cochrane, general manager of Highline Manufacturing and CEO of the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada, said Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show has become an important event for the sector.

“I am very excited to be here today, as both an exhibitor, and as a representative of AMC,” he told attendees. “We’re very excited to showcase our products to producers at this showcase of all things agricultural.”

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That was obvious at the Ag in Motion Innovation Awards Monday night, in which a rich crop of innovative agricultural products were judged by a crowd of creators and manufacturers.

“The pace of change has accelerated,” said Richelle Andreas of S3 Group, which was involved in the Innovations Award Program.

“The world looks to Canadian agriculture as the most sustainable and innovative in the world.”

The competition was made up of five categories, each including three contestants. Their innovations ranged from a giant manure bio-gas tank-trailer to a simple plastic calf castration card, from analytical management systems to hand-held leaf-scanning apps.

The innovations generally arose from the eternal creator’s notion that there must be a better way to do this.

“I designed my TestiGrip to help me,” said Jodi Suchoplas of Durban, Man., whose simple plastic castration-aid card won the award in the Livestock category.

The winners were:

• Agronomics: CropScan Ag for its On-Combine Grain Analyzer;
• Business Solutions: Ultimate Yield/The Rack for its Hedgehog fuel price hedging program;
• Environmental Solutions: Lemken Canada with its Equalizer Air Tine Drill for vertical banding;
• Livestock: TestiGrip with its self-named castration aid device;
• Equipment: Advanced Tank Production for its Bio-Gas Manure Tank Trailer.

Ag in Motion’s ten-year anniversary was noted and celebrated by a number of speakers, with the growth of the show lauded as a sign of the strength of the Western Canada agricultural economy.

AIM Manager Rob O’Connor recalled when he and Glacier FarmMedia President Bob Willcox sat together in a car and talked through what AIM could be, before there ever was a show.

O’Connor noted that in its first year, AIM had 200 exhibitors. The next year it had grown to 320. Last year it had 580. This year it has swelled to 607.

Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said his province is the hub of a world-renowned ag-tech industry, something AIM highlights.

“It’s not a myth. It’s fact,” said Marit.

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Equipment ran up and down the laneways, an impact driver sounded from a nearby display and everywhere you looked, there was activity.

Rob Makowsky, of Bayer, was busy at the lifescience firm’s display, where crop plots waved in the light breeze. Staff buzzed around the tents and plots like bees.

“We’re just getting equipment and displays in place and getting things ready for a great three days,” he said.

Makowsky, a digital account specialist with Bayer, said the show’s become a mainstay of Prairie agriculture since its launch in 2015.

“Everyone just loves the atmosphere of this show,” Makowsky said. “We’re able to meet with people here outdoors, with our crop plots right there to look at.”

Rob O’Connor, show director, was likewise occupied getting things in order prior to the show’s opening on Tuesday.

“The day before a show is always pretty busy and exciting, getting all those last minute details nailed down,” O’Connor said. “But we’ve got a great team and we’re excited to see the show drawing near.”

Organizers say attendee and exhibitor interest has been high this year.

“We’re still awaiting final exhibitor numbers, but we’ll be very close to having a record,” O’Connor said.

In 2023, the show hosted a record-breaking 31,166 guests, and O’Connor is optimistic the figures for this year will be similar, or better.

O’Connor also noted that more than 200 of those visitors would be coming from far-flung locales to see Prairie agricultural first hand.

“We’re very excited about the growing complement of international visitors from around the world, including Australia, Africa and Europe,” he said. “We’re expecting more than 200 international visitors this year. They’re drawn here to gain insight into Western Canadian agiculture and see the region’s world-leading equipment in the field.”

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Glacier FarmMedia — Day one of the 2024 Commodity Classic is in the books and a few interesting themes emerged from the annual gathering of U.S. corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers.

U.S. farmers are clearly annoyed about a number of new pesticide regulations.

Growers felt blindsided by a federal district court ruling in Arizona vacating the 2020 registrations for a variety of dicamba products used on 50 million acres of U.S. corn and soybeans.

The ruling meant growers couldn’t use the product for the 2024 growing season.

However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has since ruled that growers can use existing stocks of the product that were packaged, labeled and shipped prior to the Feb. 6 court ruling.

That is a big relief to the country’s soybean and cotton growers, but they wonder what’s in store for 2025 and beyond.

Farmers are also concerned about the EPA’s response to numerous other court rulings that determined the regulator has continually failed to meet its Endangered Species Act obligations.

Farm groups say the EPA’s proposed Herbicide Strategy, which will bring registrations into compliance with the act, is going to cost them a fortune.

A survey conducted by the American Soybean Association (ASA) indicates 80 percent of producers would not comply with the EPA’s proposal and would face “moderate to extreme” costs to become compliant.

“The proposal would likely require billions of dollars for farmers across the country to implement and could prevent some farmers from using certain herbicides entirely,” the ASA stated in a press release.

A petition it circulated collected 1,500 signatures from growers, applicators and other agricultural stakeholders calling for withdrawal of the proposal.

Soy growers were pleased that the EPA recently announced it has extended the deadline to finalize the strategy by three months to August 30, giving it more time to consider their criticism of the strategy.

Another big topic of conversation at the convention is the 2024 Farm Bill, an omnibus package of legislation that covers everything from school nutrition programs to farm safety nets.

Grower groups are lobbying hard for a bill that “does no harm” to crop insurance programs and sets higher reference prices for crops that will trigger direct payments sooner under today’s falling price environment.

The U.S. Congress is still debating and designing the bill, which was originally supposed to be in place for 2023.

There was plenty of talk about markets at the conference as well.

Al Kluis, with Kluis Commodity Advisors, had good news and bad news for farmers.

The good news is that he thinks corn and soybean futures prices have bottomed out, at least temporarily.

The bad news is that if the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s yield and acreage forecasts for 2024-25 are correct, it doesn’t bode well for prices, especially for corn.

“We could see extremely low prices in the fall,” he said.

The soybean outlook doesn’t look nearly as bad, and he is extremely excited about the long-term future for that crop due to looming demand from the sustainable aviation fuel industry.

PepsiCo and Walmart talked about their US$120 million joint venture to support sustainable agriculture in the U.S. and Canada.

The program aims to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices on more than two million acres of farmland in the U.S. and Canada, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by four million tonnes by 2030.

Monitor the pages of The Western Producer and other Glacier FarmMedia publications for full stories on these and other topics from the 2024 Commodity Classic.

––Sean Pratt writes for the Western Producer. 

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The show is huge – 27 buildings of equipment. To give you an idea, most of the buildings are the size of the AgriPlex at Western Fair in London, Ont.

This is where much of the new crop farm technology is showcased first – often as a concept or prototype.

I’ve seen hybrid, electric and methane-powered tractors, but one of the biggest releases of the week an even-bigger capacity combine from New Holland, the CR11 (photo at top).

The engineering of the CR11 won the gold medal in the Agritechnica innovation competition, scoring first out of 218 entries from around the world. New Holland believes that the new CR11 will break the world grain harvesting speed record set by its CR 10.90 combine.

The CR11 adds more horsepower, rising to 775 hp, more threshing, bin holding and unloading capacity.

What impressed the Agritechnica jury is that the company did it without increasing weight and The combine has already been in the field, tested in Western Canada. As Geert Nerinckx, global product manager for CR series combines told me, the New Holland CR11 needs Western Canada and Western Canada needs the CR11.

Watch soon for my upcoming story and video on the new CR11.

I also got to see the mind-bending Nexat in person today. The Nexat machine is a German-designed power unit that hooks into implements, so the machine can do pretty much all functions of crop production, including tillage, planting, fertilizing, spraying and harvesting all while reducing compaction by following dedicated tram lines.

The size of the Nexat is something else. Between two drive engines, it is powered by 1,050 horsepower. The engines drive the wheels electronically, meaning the system is set up for future options, like hydrogen power cells.

– John Greig is a senior editor with Glacier FarmMedia. Watch for much more detail on these and many more stories and videos from Agritechnica in our Glacier FarmMedia newspapers and websites.

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