REGINA - Saturday marks the final day for the 2023 Canadian Western Agribition and the indication is they are wrapping up on a good note.
According to Agribition officials attendance has been trending up for the week compared to 2022. Agribition CEO Shaun Kindopp said almost 15,000 people came through the gates on Friday before 5 p.m.
Final numbers on sales are not in, although there was a big sale of an Angus bull for around $118,000 on Friday.
Usually a big story every year at Agribition is the notoriously terrible weather at this time of year, but officials believe the unusually mild conditions made a difference.
Kindopp said this “would be up there, if not the smoothest event we’ve ever had at the moment, so knock on wood. The positivity, the weather, just everything you could see from people having fun, getting together.”
There was a major international presence at this year's show with 19 countries represented. Countries represented included Argentina, Denmark, Australia, Israel, Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States, Vietnam and Wales.
“Our international buyers are spending money, buying genetics in sales and buying genetics in the barn so that’s really exciting. We’re spreading Canada around the world basically,” said Kim Hextall, President of Agribition.
Kindopp said if people were coming to Regina from overseas, that meant they "were coming to spend money and do business," he said -- something he said they take pride in.
The final events scheduled for Saturday included the Agribition Beef Supreme show at 4 p.m, which will feature 45 females with 23 calves representing 15 shows across Canada, and 38 bulls representing 13 shows.
As well, there is the sheep sale at 1 p.m., the commercial cattle sale at 11 a.m., and at Brandt Centre the final night of the Maple Leaf Finals Rodeo at 7 p.m. and the Party on the Dirt at 9:30 p.m., the latter two of which are sold out. At the rodeo event, the Spanish bullfighters from the inaugural Bull Fighters Only event earlier this week have agreed to stay to do a special performance for the final night.
As for highlights, Hextall said it was hard to point out one thing. “It’s good to see people with smiles on their faces happy to be here.”
Kindopp pointed to the new features at this year’s show as particularly noteworthy.
"I don’t know if Agribition’s ever sent two people to a Taylor Swift concert in Australia before, or done a tech conference, but yeah — even Spanish bullfighting, so those are things we’re very excited for.”
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