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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON
Members of the St Jean Knights of Columbus served 32 gallons of their signature pea soup at St. Jean Farm Days.
Canada’s ‘biggest little farm show’ draws hundreds
you’re there. Here, they’ll be there. Whether they’re looking for new bins or whatever it is, they can do things efficiently here, plus get all the great information and a wonderful lunch, all for just $10. There’s nowhere else you can find something like this.” Once again, visitors enjoyed the same great food Farm Days has come to be known for, including a continental breakfast, homemade soup featuring the region’s signa- ture pea soup, open faced buns and the increasingly popular wine and cheese reception. Sabourin said, “For decades, St Jean-Baptiste proudly held the title of “Soup pea capital of Canada”. That market has since gone to Saskatche- wan, but they’re still famous for the best traditional soup in the region.” The soup is prepared and served by the local Knights of Columbus to raise funds for local projects and families. This year, they served 32 gallons of pea soup, five gallons of vegetable soup, and two gallons of lentil soup. Visitors at Farm Days also had the opportunity to network with other producers and over 50 exhibitors about what’s going to be important to their farm operation this upcom- ing season. LD Seeds employee Rory Penner spoke to dozens of producers over the course of the event. “This is such a great place to network and talk. I don’t think retailers come here ex- pecting to sell a lot. They’re mostly putting faces to the names and ask- ing what other companies are seeing in the current market.” Marlen Bergen of Komb Ag Ser- vices said not only does Farm Days provide excellent exposure for his business, but it also gives him a chance to get to know the produc- ers he works with and answer their questions in person.
by LORI PENNER D espite the Alberta Clipper that swept through the re- gion, St Jean Farm Days still attracted a big crowd. Known as “Canada’s biggest little farm show”, the event drew hun- dreds of local producers and exhib- itors to the Centennial Hall in St Jean Jan. 10 and 11 to connect with other farmers and ag dealers from across the region. Jennifer Sabourin chairs the six-member organizing committee which also includes her husband Brunel Sabourin, Wayne Klassen, Gilbert Sabourin, Rachel Neumann, and Kat Dequier. She said this year marks the 37th anniversary of the show, and it was great to see so many members of the farm industry come out and enjoy the event. “Farm Days has enjoyed a long history. It was my husband’s parents and Gilbert’s parents and a few other couples from St. Jean that started it. We’re the second generation orga- nizing this, and now the third gener- ation is also slowly trickling in.” The purpose of the event has al- ways been to connect local produc- ers with each other and experts in the industry. “We wanted to provide a place where they didn’t have to travel very far to get the advice and the products they needed.” One of the big sellers, she added, is that at this show they know they’ll get to talk to a familiar face. “We work hard to get experts who can present on current topics that are relevant to local producers. The people who can help them are all right here. With some of the larger shows such as the three-day event in Brandon, it might be harder to connect with your person on the day
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON
Rory Penner of LD Seeds in Altona chats with a producer.
that we have coming up from the states. We are seeing them, and we need to take a close look at how to manage them. They’re coming with a lot of built-in resistance, so we are al- most behind the eight ball. We need to stay ahead of the game. We bring all these experts here where people can get all the information they need and talk to local people about local issues. They get answers, right down to how to survive in the current mar- ket. It’s really a great event.” Sabourin extended a huge thank you to all the presenters and pro- ducers who braved the weather to attend this year’s show. “Mark your calendars for next year, which will run Jan. 8-9, 2025.”
“It’s really about connecting with the community and meeting farm- ers in the region. Often when talking on the phone, they’ll ask me if I’ll be at Farm Days. Even if they’re your neighbour, they still like to meet at the farm show.” With a full speaker program slated for the event, Sabourin said produc- ers were able to hear about relevant topics to their business and gain some insight into what challenges the upcoming growing season may hold. “It’s been the same format since we began. People want to know about the forecast in terms of mar- ket, weather, and insects, along with other things like the resistant weeds
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Entomologist John Gavloski educated producers about flea beetles and grasshoppers.
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LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Marlen Bergen (left) of Komb Ag Services in Altona discussed options with a visitor at his booth.
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