Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

The winter months flew by with MRAC attending a record number of tradeshows and conferences.

Armed with the new MRAC display, I began tradeshow season at the Eastern Prairies Organic Tradeshow in Brandon in November. Two weeks later I was back in the Wheat City for the annual Manitoba Grazing School. The very next week I made the trek out west again for the Manitoba Conservation Districts Association Convention and Tradeshow. This was followed by the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association Annual General Meeting the week after, also in Brandon.

A four-week hiatus from the tradeshow scene allowed me to catch my breath and gave me an opportunity to prepare for the mother of all Manitoba agricultural tradeshows: Manitoba Ag Days. The week following Ag Days, I returned to Brandon for the Manitoba Potato Production Days. Two weeks later I attended the Manitoba Special Crops Symposium in Winnipeg. Soon after, I headed south to Morris for the Manitoba Direct Farm Marketing Conference. And finally the hectic tradeshow season wrapped up with the Agriculture in the City event at the Forks Market in Winnipeg in March.

Besides these events, MRAC also sent staff or board members to other conferences and meetings, such as the Manitoba Dairy Conference, Grow Canada Conference, Manitoba Genetic Expo, Keystone Agricultural Producers Annual General Meeting, Manitoba Swine Seminar, Manitoba Egg Farmers Annual General Meeting and many more.

Attending these events provided MRAC staff and board members with the opportunity to make connections in various ag sectors and promote the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The agriculture industry is constantly changing and there are challenges ahead. MRAC is ready and willing to help the industry adapt and remain competitive. Want to learn more about MRAC and CAAP? Call us toll free at 1.800.216.9767 or check out our new website, www.mrac.ca.   

~ Teresa Falk, MRAC Communications Officer

Photo: Helena Marak, MRAC program coordinator, explains how renewable biomass such as canola, hemp and flax can be used to develop high value, cost competitive biocomposites for various industrial applications including bus manufacturing, to an Ag in the City visitor. Photo by Teresa Falk.