A12
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
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