By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
While the Arctic blast continues to keep Chatham-Kent in a deep freeze, there was warmth inside the John D. Bradley Centre, where, for at least two days, thoughts turned to a new growing season just around the corner.
An estimated 1,200 guests attended OP Show Productions’ 11th annual Chatham-Kent Farm Show last Wednesday and Thursday, learning about the latest in farm equipment, products, communications and technology from experts in the agricultural industry.
“I think it went amazingly, we’ve had a great turnout, and everyone seems happy and pleased,” said Courtney Mailloux, owner of OP Show Productions, as the final hour of the two-day show was approaching.
“The weather even turned out in our favour,” Mailloux added, as blowing snow and whiteouts that plagued the outlying area thankfully let up for both days of the show, easing fears that poor driving conditions would impact attendance.
Farm Show participants were pleased with the steady crowd both days as guests visited the 125 exhibit booths in the Freedom Hall and Banquet Room. Staff from agribusinesses and organizations had the opportunity to meet with their current and prospective customers in an informal, social atmosphere while showcasing their services.
Burke Bechard, Communications & Engagement Coordinator at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, said the Farm Show is an excellent opportunity to promote the school’s programs to parents and family members, as few current high school students can attend the show during semester exam week.
“It’s both an awareness event and a recruitment event,” Bechard said. “We’re getting a lot of parents stopping by and saying, ‘my kid wants to come here,’ so we have some material for them to take home to encourage students to come to our campus and learn more about what they want to do in the future.”
Bechard explained the applied agriculture, animal science and environmental research programs available at the Ridgetown Campus to the visitors who stopped by the booth.
There were also several Ridgetown Campus alumni – many of whom are employed in the agricultural industry and were representing their companies at the Farm Show – who stopped by the booth.
“They wanted to know how the ag program has changed, how the school has evolved and how many students we have,” Bechard said. “Right now, we have between 500 and 600, and a lot of the alumni said, ‘When I was there, we only had about 200.’ They say it’s nice to hear how it’s growing and how the programs have changed to adapt to industry needs.”
Bechard, a Dover Centre native, is a University of Guelph graduate as she played for the Gryphons’ women’s basketball team where she was a three-time OUA all-star, was Guelph’s W.F. Mitchell Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2021-22, received the Joy Bellinger Award for career contributions to OUA basketball and is only the third Gryphon in history to surpass the 1,000 career point plateau, as she scored 1,065 points in her four seasons.
Bechard continues to rack up assists off the court by enticing students to come to the Ridgetown Campus.
“Recruitment is my main focus, getting students to come to the campus, learn about what we have to offer and student life, and how to enrol,” said Bechard, who attends other trade shows and expos in the area to promote Ridgetown College.
Ridgetown College is hosting its annual Open House on Saturday, March 28, from 1-4 p.m., in conjunction with its Spring Expo, a student-led event.
“Potential students will see what our current students are doing on campus, what they’re learning and their experiences,” Bechard said. “They’ll learn about our diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs, tour the campus and connect with staff and students.”
The Kent Federation of Agriculture also had a booth at the Farm Show, as it has had since the inaugural event in 2014.
“We’re here to interact with our members, listen to their concerns, listen to their hopes for the year and see how we can help them accomplish their goals,” said Mark Huston, KFA treasurer.
Houston said the Farm Show provides a venue where KFA staff and members meet in person and enjoy a leisurely conversation rather than a phone call.
“It’s a chance to stop by and talk … something might just pop in your head that you might not have thought to call about,” he said.
Kevin Bagnall, KFA vice-president, said members expressed many concerns.
“A lot of people are concerned about the dust control on the road,” Bagnall said, after Chatham-Kent Council voted to abolish the municipality’s dust suppressant program. They brought it back partially and will return to its full capacity – all in a year’s span.
“Everyone’s glad to have it back for 2026,” Bagnall said.
The tariff dilemma with the United States was another common topic.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty with the tariffs, I don’t think anybody knows where we stand on that from day to day,” he stated.
Bagnall said the Farm Show is an opportunity for directors to discuss the board’s direction with its membership.
“We have a very broad representation throughout Chatham-Kent on our board and some new members in 2026,” Bagnall said.
“With Jim’s leadership and the executive, I think we’re moving forward in a lot of areas,” said Bagnall, referring to KFA resident Jim Brackett, of the Rondeau area.
The KFA also welcomed representatives from the Essex and Lambton federations to their booth to talk to visitors from their region, as well as Ontario Federation of Agriculture staff to discuss provincial issues.
The Municipality’s Economic Development Department promoted Chatham-Kent’s agricultural manufacturers, producers, and commercial businesses at its booth.
A large number of Chatham-Kent-made products were on display.
“Agriculture is our biggest industry,” said Anthony Wilson, Economic Development officer. “We’re here to show our support to the agricultural community in Chatham-Kent. You can see on our display, we have all local items that are produced here in Chatham-Kent, we’re here to provide support (to the producers) from inception to post-delivery.”
The Farm Show also hosted its Speaker Series, featuring four industry experts who led sessions throughout the two days, most of which were standing-room-only.
