Opening Ceremonies
Celebrate Ag Leadership

Presidents of two international ag organizations open Show

Not one but two presidents of international agricultural organizations will officially open Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) on Tuesday, September 13.

Aside from his duties at Canada’s largest agricultural trade show, COFS Vice President Doug Wagner is also the current President of the Farm Show Council which represents 25 farm shows from New Zealand to Ottawa and from California to Kentucky. Wagner will officially open Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show with Mike Wilson, President of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ).

"We can always learn something," says Wilson, "and that’s one of the big advantages of international partnerships."

Wilson is one of more than 140 journalists from 33 countries attending Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show as part of their annual international congress being hosted in Canada this September. A strong believer in the positive impact of international collaboration, Wilson is keen to attend as well as open this year’s Show.

Wilson is no stranger to farm shows. As Executive Editor of Farm Futures magazine, he is part of the much larger corporation, Farm Progress, which runs the famed Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois every August. The Farm Progress Show is an annual outdoor farm show which alternates between Decatur and Boone, Iowa.

The opening ceremonies start at 11:00 a.m. at the Ginty Jocius Memorial Waterfall on the Ducks Unlimited Farm Pond and are open to all attendees. The ceremonies will also include some special award presentations, including a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and its continuing support of Ontario farmers. The Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc. (OAFE) will recognize a school teacher who has brought agriculture into the classroom. The OAFE Teacher Recognition Award has been a staple of the opening ceremonies since 2009, with past winners including Peter Soos from West Elgin High School in West Lorne and Dianne O’Shea from Medway High School near London.

The gates at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show open at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 13th. The opening ceremonies will take place at 11:00 a.m. beside the Ducks Unlimited Farm Pond, followed by a VIP luncheon for honoured guests and international journalists from the IFAJ tour.

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show will be held on September 13, 14, and 15, 2011 at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, ON. For more information, visit www.OutdoorFarmShow.com.