Manitoba Ag Days | 2026

Brandon Sun Manitoba Ag Days

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n THE BRANDON SUN

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

Manitoba Ag Days JANUARY 20, 21, 22 brandonsun.com

Ag experts, dignitaries and a geopolitical analyst are among more than 80 speakers Tariff deal brings relief on eve of Ag Days

BY ALEX LAMBERT

As farmers from around the country get ready for the kickoff to Manitoba Ag Days 2026, there’s some focus on international challenges facing the in- dustry — and a recent breakthrough on tariffs. The three-day event hosts 580 ex- hibitors who will showcase everything from best practices in their field to in- ventions. The 49th edition of Ag days runs from Tuesday to Thursday at the Key- stone Centre in Brandon and its theme this year is “Produced on the Prairies.” Agriculture experts, dignitaries and a geopolitical analyst are included on the long list of more than 80 speakers scheduled to attend. This year’s event comes while cer- tain sectors, like cattle, are enjoying a boom, and others have been strug- gling, including the canola sector un- der Chinese tariffs. On Friday, China’s tariff on Canadi- an canola seed was dropped to 15 per cent from 84 per cent, while the tariff on canola meal was dropped com- pletely. That comes after Prime Min- ister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for trade talks. The changes take effect March 1 and are guaranteed until the end of the year. The executive director of the Mani- toba Canola Growers Association said the announcement is good for the in- dustry. “It is positive news coming out of Beijing this morning. Excited to see that the Canadian government is rec- ognizing the value of the Canadian ag- riculture sector in trade,” Delaney Ross Burtnack said Friday morning. “Just a relief to finally see some pos- itive momentum on this file.” The tariffs being lowered and dropped come as Canadian tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles were reduced to 6.1 per cent, up to a max- imum of 49,000 vehicles entering the country. Chinese EVs were previously under a 100 per cent tariff. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew told reporters in Winnipeg on Friday that seeing the progress “is welcome news for the ag sector.” “The ag sector in Manitoba is mas- sive. It’s a huge part of the Canadian economy and a huge part of the Man- itoba economy, so this is welcome news,” he said, according to a tran- script sent to The Brandon Sun by the province. Kinew said he hopes to see tariffs on pork also dropped soon, as that is an- other important industry in the prov- ince. Burtnack said the tariff announce- ment means farmers will be able to sell their product into China once again. She hopes that a fully open market will open again soon. One day earlier, Burtnack said the tariffs have been “a huge barrier to farmers to be able to sell,” and that “every farmer is feeling a pinch already in terms of the price.” She said Ag Days having a portion dedicated to the current geopolitical landscape, and how it affects farmers,

Grain bins stand out against a field of canola in bloom near Oak River. On Friday, China’s tariff on Canadian canola seed was dropped to 15 per cent from 84 per cent, while the tariff on canola meal was dropped completely. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Jacob Shapiro is scheduled to speak Wednesday at Ag Days. (Ag Days website)

is beneficial. “There’s some farmers who just don’t realize that global politics is clos- er to home than they think,” Burtnack said. “Having that insight, it’s actually really important information as farm- ers make decisions about what to do with their grain.” That includes knowing how pric- es can change, she said, and having a “trigger price” based on what’s going on elsewhere. The rest of the three-day affair, she said, is incredibly important for farm- ers to learn about new innovations and make connections. Teresa Hildebrand, Ag Days’ media co-ordinator, also said the geopolitical component of the event is valuable for producers. “We are competing against (the) same commodities being grown at dif- ferent places in the world, and so it’s important to know what’s happening in those places, and our farmers are curious about how they fit into that global market,” Hildebrand said. Presentations on geopolitics and a

Curious cattle eye the camera at Melody Acres farm north of Bradwardine on a mild Thursday morning. While some farmers are facing tough international challenges, beef producers are experiencing a boom with record high prices. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

variety of other subjects are “hugely helpful,” she said. “It helps you get a perspective that’s bigger than your own operation, and though you’re keeping track of those things throughout the year, sometimes it’s nice to be able to have that dedicat- ed time to focus on just that topic with people around you who are also inter- ested in that topic.” And it’s not just the presentation it- self, but the conversations before and after with other people in the same sit- uation that bring insights, Hildebrand added. “Just being able to say, ‘Hey, I’m not

in this alone.’” Jacob Shapiro, who is the director of research at The Bespoke Group and hosts The Jacob Shapiro Podcast, is scheduled to speak Wednesday at Ag Days. In a phone interview from his home city of New Orleans, La., Shapiro said it’s important for farmers to under- stand the global situation, as North American agriculture is “going through a cyclical downturn.” He said the world is going from a unipolarity — dominated by the Unit- ed States — to a multipolarity, where multiple national governments are

battling for power, economic influ- ence and trade. “In an era of globalization, the farm- er is just trying to produce as much as possible, as efficiently as possible, and then the market will absorb it,” Shap- iro said “But food is now becoming hand- made into national security, and you’re getting countries that are either inter- ested in increasing their self-sufficien- cy … or are looking to have trading partnerships with countries that are more aligned with them politically.”

» See ‘Lots’ –– Page A11

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LOCAL NEWS n

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THE BRANDON SUN n SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

AG DAYS 2026

» Lots to learn at Ag Days

Continued from Page A10

Farmers now have to “completely refo- cus” how they think about their bottom line in relation to both exports and local markets, he said. Shapiro said Wednesday’s presenta- tion will focus on the rise of multipolarity, and whatever the top headlines are that day. He added that while he often focuses on problems people are facing, this time he will speak about the opportunities available for growth. Burtnack said the event as a whole will provide plenty of good information for farmers. “Ag Days is a fantastic event,” Burtnack said. “It’s so beneficial, there’s not a lot of opportunities to bring the entire com- munity of farmers together alongside the industry, to connect and learn from each other.” Cattle farmer Brian English agreed, saying he has learned a lot since he start- ed his farm west of Rivers more than 20 years ago. He said the first time he heard of bale grazing was at Ag Days, which has proved to be valuable in his day-to-day work. “I learned a lot of things along the way,” English said. “That’s where I kind of got my information from — some of the speakers. It’s very valuable. “Ag Days was some of the first places where I got a lot of information,” he said. Now as a regional director for the Man- itoba Beef Producers, he will be set up at a booth and looking to talk to producers. Ag Days serves as a place where farm- ers can speak to each other, English said, as opposed to having to tend to the farm, usually on their own or with family. He said he’s also planning to listen to some of the many speakers. His industry is currently in a boom, he said. “This is probably the best of times for us. We haven’t seen prices like that ever in the cattle industry,” English said. He said things are “very promising” and that he’s encouraged. » alambert@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

Brian English visits with some of his cattle at his farm, Melody Acres, north of Bradwardine, on Thursday. English and his son, Connor, with English Ranching, have approximately 300 head of cattle between them. (Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

English has a friendly moment with his dog Boomer on Thursday morning.

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n LOCAL NEWS

n THE BRANDON SUN

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

AG DAYS 2026

Visitors encouraged to come out, interact and buy local Produced on the Prairies Market ‘a one-stop shop’ BY WENDY KING

Welcome to Ag Days 2026!

Manitoba Ag Days is gear- ing up to go Tuesday at the Keystone Centre in Brandon for its 49th year — and back again, and bigger than ever with 30 vendors, is the Pro- duced on the Prairies Mar- ket. Attendees will find the market in the FCC Pavilion at the top of the ramp in the Pioneer Lounge. “The Produced on the Prairies Market allows us to focus on all of the amazing food and beverage products that are out there and bring them in front of the ag com- munity,” says Kristen Phil- lips, Manitoba Ag Days gen- eral manager. The “Produced on the Prairies” theme is a way to gather all facets of the agri- cultural industry together. “We have manufacturers, we have distributors, we have salesmen, but we were missing that food-and-bev- erage component. And so by having the market, we’re kind of a one-stop shop, and doing a ‘field-to-fork’ per- spective with something for everyone,” she says. As a large, well-attended trade show, Manitoba Ag Days provides an opportuni- ty for vendors to really show off their stuff. Vendor feed- back from last year was posi- tive, with many commenting on the exposure with 12,000 to 15,000 attendees per day compared to any other av- erage market that might see only 300 to 500. A big part of the experi- ence for visitors is interact- ing with the vendors them- selves. “Every single one of the vendors last year I know was more than willing to share their story, explain where

Jodie Byram MLA Agassiz 204-390-5428

Greg Nesbitt MLA Riding Mountain 204-759-3313

Wayne Balcaen MLA Brandon West 204-717-6777

Shelby Howard Pottery Company returns to the Produced on the Prairies Market with hand-built pottery as well as delight- ful home-baked goods. (Supplied by Shelby Howard)

their product comes from and their passion behind the product. Every one of them is bringing samples, so you’ll be able to try and taste differ- ent products,” says Phillips. Each day of the three-day market will feature 10 differ- ent scheduled vendors, and Phillips, who says she’ll be out shopping, is encourag- ing visitors to come out and buy local. “There are so many amaz- ing products, it will be hard to leave without buying something!” she says. One of those vendors is Marilyn Simons out of Sas- katchewan, who produces a wide range of canned and

pickled comestibles under her label Auntie M’s Garden Market. She says the atmo- sphere and the people at the event keeps her coming back. “It’s packed with fans of the agricultural sector and even some new engagers wanting to check it out,” says Simons. The Produced on the Prai- ries Market helps customers to see the person behind the product. “Many event attendees are delighted to see just how many of our everyday prod- ucts are actually produced locally,” says Simons.

Rick Wowchuk MLA Swan River 204.614.7425

Doyle Piwniuk MLA Turtle Mountain 204-552-0130

Colleen Robbins MLA Spruce Woods 204-717-7000

» See ‘Market’ –– Page A13

LOCAL NEWS n

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THE BRANDON SUN n

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

AG DAYS 2026

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HOT WHEELS Teddy Thompson plays atop a New Holland tractor on display during last year’s Manitoba Ag Days at the Keystone Centre in Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files) Continued from Page A12 » Market will have ‘a few surprises, maybe mascot!’

“Markets like Produced on the Prairies also foster collaboration and encouragement among makers, which is huge in often-iso- lated work,” says Howard. Howard says the showcase is an import- ant platform for producers to forge real con- nections with customers and where visitors can see a variety of local work, including the “stories, values and labour behind each product.” For attendees’ convenience, the organizers have set up a system where market shoppers can purchase items and leave them safely with the vendor for pickup at the end of the day. Phillips says the Produced on the Prairies Market is a “don’t miss experience.” “You’re going to see some fun things this year — a few surprises, and maybe a mas- cot!” Find more information on Ag Days and the Produced on the Prairies Market at ag- days.com.

“Seeing the faces behind the labels gives that extra personalized perspective for any- one that might see these products in a retail store. This ultimately creates a lasting im- pression for both customers and producers and reinforces the thankfulness of support- ing local.” Brandon’s Shelby Howard, a purveyor of hand-built pottery, who runs Shelby Howard Pottery Company, is also back at the market this year. “What brings me back is the people and the sense of community. The Produced on the Prairies Market isn’t just about sell- ing — it’s about connecting. I enjoy talking with customers and other vendors who care about where their food and handmade piec- es come from, sharing the stories behind both my pottery and baking, and seeing fa- miliar faces return year after year,” Howard says. Another aspect of that connection is being in the market with other producers.

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n MANITOBA AG DAYS

n THE BRANDON SUN

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

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