Show Director Rob O’Connor called the recent Woodstock show the smoothest he’s ever seen.

“When exhibitors came in with their equipment, our operators did a great job and the management of the operations team was impeccable,” O’Connor said. “That just gets everything off on the right foot.”

According to O’Connor, exhibitors reported high engagement among the farmers in attendance.

“Some of our customers, they were hitting their targets before the end of day two, so the reports that I got back from those customers was fantastic,” he said.

“Our whole purpose is to give an opportunity for farmers to meet with those trade show exhibitors and to start doing some business when they can meet their goals before the show’s third day.”

O’Connor mentioned a few standout moments from this year’s show. One was the Innovation Awards ceremony, held the night before the show’s first day.

“It was a wonderful event. It looked beautiful. We had great weather. We moved it to a new location this year, which is the special events tent on site, and it was just north of the pond. And boy, that just had the great ambiance.”

Also of note this year were the drone demos, which O’Connor had said he was excited for prior to the show.

“Those drones were flying all day, every day, and there (were) constantly people going and learning about the new models,” he said. “That technology is moving so fast, I think it’s gonna be so beneficial in the future of agriculture.”

O’Connor also said he was also impressed by the presence of dignitaries like Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agri-Business Trevor Jones, Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Jones and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding.

“To have senior level politicians and their teams stay at the show for that amount of time, showed and demonstrated to me how important the show is, even for policy makers, they come and they see the equipment and they see the business that’s being done in our industry.”

“They can also talk to farmers, and they can talk to the manufacturers or the seed growers and talk about the state of the industry so that they can get ideas and a sense of what they need to do as far as political policy and keeping our province and country moving forward.”

Business representatives from the Czeck Republic, Japan, Australia and other countries also attended the show.

As for next year, O’Connor said there are some changes attendees can expect to see at COFS 2026.

“The positioning (of) the exhibitors in the livestock area, there will be some changes there. There’ll be some changes as we try to theme some of the areas of the show a little more so that when a farmer comes to walk all over across the site to see competitors, we’re going to put some of those competitors closer together.”

Attendance-wise, O’Connor said the show held steady from last year, with around 37,000 people through the gates. He said this shows “in the world of agriculture, where there’s less and less farmers every year, the strength the show has.”

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“We want to be able to assess them on the rib and make sure that they’re not too fat, but have enough cover that the carcass is going to be preserved, be protected in the cooler,” said the producer and lamb merchandiser for Ontario Lamb Marketing Inc.

Why it matters: An ideal market-ready lamb has thickness in the shoulder, rack, loin and leg.

Lambs for McCutcheon’s market-ready demonstration at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show were on the heavier end of OLM specifications but showed a range in marketability.

“(These are) 110 to 115-pound lambs that are going to dress in that 23 to 26 kilo range,” he said.

OLM’s lamb specifications allow up to 20 millimetres of fat before facing a penalty, and weights of 20 to 25 kilograms with a cap of 27 kilograms for ideal consumer products.

“It’s a pretty specific range we’re looking for, which is different than a lot of packers. We don’t pay more for lambs that are overweight. On small lambs, you really can’t break them up; you can’t make money doing that.”

McCutcheon is concerned about producers’ lack of insight on lamb quality and carcass yield.

The farm show demonstration was a continuation of lamb marketing education he and Wahab Samani of Simcoe Street Meats began at the Ontario Sheep Farmers’ annual meeting last October. There, they shared video and data collection from the 2023 carcass competition lamb evaluation.

McCutcheon said elevating producer knowledge can help maximize returns through simple management changes.

For example, most demonstration attendees seemed surprised that ewe lambs dress two to three per cent better and can be marketed lighter for the same quality as ram lambs.

“Ninety-five per cent of the lambs in the province are sold live, and there’s no report back,” he said, adding that this costs producers and benefits packing industry players.

He pointed to New Zealand’s and Australia’s sheep industry, which have a specification grading system for product consistency like almost any livestock processed across North America, and a producer report card to track progress.

Ontario’s sheep industry does not, so producers who sell into the live market don’t know why they get a good price or don’t.

McCutcheon believes a similar grading system would increase competitiveness for Ontario sheep producers, reduce waste and boost retail confidence through a consistent, quality product.

“You don’t want to be producing a bunch of lamb that’s way too fat and hard to merchandise,” he said. “That just backs up the whole industry, and we need to be able to move the product we produce.”

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“As someone who is passionate about agriculture, being able to combine teaching with my love for this field is truly a dream come true,” said Woodhouse.  “I am both humbled and honoured to be recognized in this way, and I look forward to continuing to inspire and educate others about the importance of agriculture.”

The St. John Catholic School teacher was awarded AgScape’s annual Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education Award and the $1,500 prize at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, an award sponsor, on Sept. 12.

Why it matters: Teachers play a crucial role in helping students understand the origins of the food they eat and the significant role farming and agriculture play in their lives.

A passionate farmer and agriculture enthusiast, Woodhouse weaves agriculture and food literacy into learning, utilizing AgScape’s programs and resources, curriculum-linked lesson plans and Virtual Field.

Her large-scale field trips to the International Plowing Match and participation in the Pizza Perfect program at the Grand River Raceway connect students to real-world agricultural practices and history.

In a statement, Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education, said the Grade 1 to 3 Social Studies curriculum dovetails with Woodhouse’s efforts because it explores the relationship between the natural environment, land use and employment opportunities.

She also applauded AgScape’s curriculum-linked resources, which help teachers and students build knowledge and contribute to “the next generation of agri-food professionals.”

“Working with extraordinary educators is one of our greatest privileges at AgScape,” said Mira Lyonblum, AgScape executive director, in a statement. “Without teachers like Pam going above and beyond, we would not be able to empower students across Ontario to see themselves as an integral part of our agriculture and food system.”

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Roadshow attendees arrived by motor coach on the morning of Sept. 10 and were encouraged to tour the farm show site in Woodstock. They met later in the day for a networking event that heard introductions from several business leaders, including Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner with the Italian Trade Agency.

In an interview earlier in the day, Saladini offered, “I am very impressed by this show, by the organization, by the attendance, and I am eager to take a walk and figure out what could be the next steps for our programs supporting Italian companies and their interactions with [the] Canadian agricultural world.”

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However what does that mean for rotational grazers, when the grass is growing well?

James Clark, territory manager for Ontario for Gallagher, says that managing any eventuality in rotational grazing starts with having a large area surrounding by a perimeter fence, giving flexibility and options. He presented the grazing seminars at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock this week.

“Some farms, they automatically know, because their climate is pretty stable, that the first go around is going to be half acre plots, the next go around is going to be one acre plots, and one after that’s going to be two acres,” he says.

A farmer will know that every four or five years a bigger rain or drought event will happen.

If it’s wetter, the plots will need to be shortened up, as there’s more for the livestock to eat. Or, in a dry year, widen the plots.

Setting up all permanent fencing will mean a lack of flexibility.

Clark targets two fence movements per day as the ‘sweet spot’ for rotational grazing. Two rotations per day instead of one can add 30 more days of feed over a grazing season. Three fencing changes per day instead of two only increases the feed by five more days.

Clark knows of a farm that was up to six times per day rotating cattle and they were able to graze almost 11 months of the year, but they’ve since cut that back to four movements.

Be desciplined about rotations and don’t micromanage them, set the system and rotate the cattle or sheep when it’s time to do so.

“Don’t let it go to seed and don’t let it get below six inches,” he says.

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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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