Discover Agriculture in the City
Shoppers recently experienced all the cultural and economic benefits that agriculture offers when Ag in the City took over the Outlet Collection Mall located in south Winnipeg.
The annual public awareness event – now in its 20th year – took place on March 16 and highlighted the contributions agriculture makes to the economy, and how important and vital it is for all Manitobans.
The free, family-friendly, hands-on, interactive event featured exhibitors, a wildly popular photo booth, as well as the University of Manitoba Food Fight where students pitched their creations to a three-judge panel, giving background on their product selection, development, and marketing plans.
“The Outlet Collection Mall was the perfect location to engage with a wide range of Manitobans who were interested in learning about food and farming in Manitoba,” said Laurel Lyons, Regional Communications Advisor for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Co-Chair of the event. “We had so many great conversations with visitors, and we hope that their interest and knowledge in agriculture has increased as a result.”
Representing Manitoba Beef Producers was District 9 Director Trevor Sund, along with Communications and Marketing Lead David Hultin. The MBP booth featured a variety of recipes, the Guardians of the Grasslands online grazing simulation game (based on the critically acclaimed 2019 documentary of the same name) and a new interactive display that anchors the refreshed MBP space at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre. It was a productive day with more than three hundred conversations taking place.
MBP was joined by Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives (MBFI) which is a research and demonstration farm dedicated to working with farmers to support the advancement of the beef cattle and forage industries. MBFI General Manager Dr. Mary-Jane Orr and Extension Coordinator Josie Pedersen also fielded questions from the public.