A small city sprouts up alongside the canola every year near Langham, Sask.
That's where Ag in Motion holds its three-day outdoor farm show. The event attracts about 10,000 daily visitors to its 40-hectare site northwest of Saskatoon.
"It's like they got one of everything out here," said Trevor Kwiatkowski. He farms grain and oil seed crops near Prince Albert, so he's always looking for the newest seeding and tilling technology.
Live demonstrations of machinery in the field and opportunities to test it himself are what keep him coming back.
"It's one of the best places to come and check out all the equipment," Kwiatkowski said. "There's usually enough people on staff to either train you on it or tell you what it's all about anyway. Otherwise, you're running from dealer to dealer trying to figure it out."
The event attracts spectators and businesses from across North America. More than 600 exhibitors from the crop, livestock and other ag sectors were expected throughout the week, the most ever in the event's 10-year history.
It's part trade show, part carnival. Plots of test crops — where companies show off plants grown with proprietary technology — dot the event site. The event added daily antique tractor pulls for entertainment. And there's plenty of food trucks.
For University of Saskatchewan master's students Celine Ferre and Jocelyn Leidl, it's also a place to network ahead of their post-grad job hunt.
"Out here you get to see live demos of the drones. You get to see crops being grown in the field and how they actually look instead of just hearing about it," Ferre said as she toured the site with Leidl.
"Plus it's nice to see everyone, because it's a big industry, but a small industry at the same time. So everyone gets out and sees what everyone else is working on. I think it's a really unique opportunity."
Organizers expect overall attendance to land around last year's total of 31,166.
"Agriculture is a remote business, and as farms get bigger, neighbours are farther away," said Ag in Motion show director Rob O'Connor in a news release. "This show has become a way for farmers to connect, share their passion for farming, discuss business and meet others who have similar interests in agriculture."
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