by PAUL RAYNER

Sponsors and exhibitors gave a resounding “yes” to the 2008 edition of Boissevain’s Farm Focus.

This was the evidence provided by a recap of the evaluations given to exhibitors and sponsors of the event held at Boissevain School on February 29. Hosted by the Turtle Mountain Community Development Corporation, Boissevain & District Chamber of Commerce, Turtle Mountain Ag Society and the local office of Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives, the annual event spotlights the importance of agriculture in the community. According to those involved, it was successful again.

Those responding were asked how they would rate the event. Five respondents said it was excellent, while 19 said it was good. There were four saying average, two fair and none poor, a solid showing.

As for favourite part of event, there were many different comments. For some, talking to people was important, while others saw it as networking with producers and meeting new people. Numbers of people attending was seen as positive by many, particularly farmers themselves. The speakers were also mentioned as a highlight.

Conversely, the least favourite parts included some comments regarding a lack of people through the trade shows, particularly at certain periods. There was a negative comment regarding poor exhibitor parking, and the usual regarding the annoyance of set up and of course, the bad roads on that day.

Not surprisingly, no one said the cost of the booth space, at $145, was too low. However, only three said it was too high, while 27 said it was just right.

Thirteen respondents said they found out about the event from the local paper, while six got the information from a Chamber member and five from radio. Other sources included local people, the fact they had attended the previous year or other years, and personal references. Comments regarding publicity and promotion were quite positive, saying it was well advertised (with a suggestion of moving further east), and well publicized.

As for future participation, none said no and only one said maybe. There were 29 respondents who answered yes. One question that has come up with organizers has been whether or not Farm Focus should be every year or every two years. Respondents gave an overwhelming yes to the annual event, with 26 saying every year, and three saying every two years.

As for facilities, 15 participants said they were good, with two excellent's, four great's and two very goods. There were some comments regarding a larger facility, or that it needed to be held in one room, but most were quite positive.

When asked how it could be improved, from the trade show perspective, there were suggestions of perhaps more time for the traffic to flow through booths, the home based businesses in with the others, and maybe an earlier ending. There was also a suggestion that the seminars be cut down to improve attendance at the trade show itself.

Other comments included that the event was nicely laid out with a friendly atmosphere and that organizers did a good job. A suggestion was made to use the school intercom to make announcements regarding the trade show and seminars, and to make sure next year the roads are not icy.

Of the 230 attendees registered, the bulk came from Boissevain, 161 of them. Minto (14), Killarney (13) and Deloraine (12) provided the other double-figure communities. Other communities in the areas provided much of the rest, although six did come from Reston and one from Winnipeg.

Farm Focus was briefly discussed at the March 11 Chamber meeting. Rhonda Coupland of MAFRI said they considered it a successful event overall. The newest addition, the Rural Living Program, which included speakers and cooking demonstrations, in particular went well, with standing room only crowds at times. Strong comments came from many involved. For example, small business speaker Shirley Tillet, at her first rural event of this type, raved about it. Bill Dougall said the Co-op supplier from Saskatoon commented that it was the best event of its kind per capita he had ever attended. George Dyck added that a businessperson in Winkler said they were thinking of doing something similar.

“They hear nothing but good things about what we are doing,” Dyck stated.

There were areas to improve. There needs to be work on the parking lot exhibit area on the east side of the school, as people continue to park in the display area. As well, they will be looking at the number of speakers they have, as the attendance at the traditional seminars was a fair bit lower this year. They might combine the rural living portion with the agricultural seminars in the future, so they do not compete with one another. However, the 2008 edition was considered a worthwhile event.

“It was a very successful event,” Coupland stated. “There was lots of activity and everybody said they’d be back. There was a full house for booths and the people want it every year.”