The Islands Agriculture Show is back at Cowichan Exhibition Park and this year’s theme is the “Changing Face of Agriculture”.
The show is hosted at the Cowichan Exhibition grounds on Mays Road every second year.
“We’ve been in Comox, we’ve been in Port Alberni and next year it’s in Saanich and the following year it will come back to Cowichan,” said show manager Shari Paterson, adding the event is getting bigger and more popular each year.
“It’s definitely growing,” Paterson noted. “It’s to find out what’s new in the industry. [Farmers] come for the conference sessions to learn from the experts.”
But that’s not all. It isn’t just for people who work in farming and related industries. Regular folks enjoy the event as well.
“Even if you’re just a backyard flower gardener, there’s stuff that people can learn by coming to the show,” she said. “It’s interesting. It’s nice to know what’s going on. There’s wonderful events going on for the public with the B.C. Dairy Classroom and the Poultry in Motion. There’s a lot to see and do. There’s a lot of people that may live in downtown neighbourhoods that aren’t really familiar with what goes on in the world of agriculture,” and the Agriculture Show is a great way to learn, she added.
She expects about 2,000 visitors to attend the show and conference over the two days, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Friday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 3, though there is one workshop on wildfire preparedness and mitigation on Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Registration is required for all sessions and information can be found on the Islands Agriculture Show website.
The trade show costs $5 to enter. The conference sessions are $17 each but the price is reduced with each session a participant signs up for.
The Islands Agriculture Show is the only agricultural trade show and conference serving the farm and food community on Vancouver Island, Coast and Gulf Islands. Bringing together farmers, rural landowners, farm organizations, equipment dealers, service providers and the general public, the Islands Agriculture Show provides a venue for participants to learn, connect and engage.
Sarah
