Day 2 of Agribition sees multiple partnerships struck

The Canadian Western Agribition unveiled new partnership announcements on Tuesday. Jacob Carr has the details.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe was on hand at day two of the Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) to announce a new five-year partnership renewal, worth $575,000, between the Agribition and Canadian National Railway.

The Agribition said the agreement will ensure the continuation of CN’s free admission day and reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to the event.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with CN for the next five years,” said Shaun Kindopp, CEO of the CWA. “CN’s ongoing support helps us expand key programs and deliver an exceptional experience for everyone who comes through our gates.”

“CN is proud to continue its partnership with Canadian Western Agribition,” said Patrick Lortie, senior vice-president and chief strategy and stakeholder relations officer. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to connecting communities and helping families to experience Canada’s agriculture industry up close.”

Moe also highlighted the importance of Agribition week.

“We recognize the value that this event brings to Saskatchewan, our province, our nation, but most importantly, the value that this brings to our agricultural sector in the province. Agribition highlights Saskatchewan producers, and their passion and their dedication to the industry,” he said.

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Another agreement struck on Tuesday was between the Global Institute for Food Security and the Canadian Beef Improvement Network.

According to a release, the strategic partnership will offer state-of-the-art DNA testing and analysis services for Canada’s beef industry—bringing critical high-throughput genotyping capabilities home and strengthening Canada’s position in the global beef market.

“Something we’ve been working on for a decade now, and the resource like the Global Institute for Food Security allows us to be able to do this here in Canada. We need our data and our resources here in Canada to be able to help support Canadian beef producers,” said Canadian Beef Improvement Network CEO Sandy Russell.

The release continued to say that the partnership will eliminate the need for Canadian beef producers to send tissue samples abroad for testing.

“I think that’s the other thing that’s really important is the data that we generate can add additional value to the industry participants. By being able to have it all in one place, to be able to scale it up and leverage it for new trades and technologies for the industry,” said Global Institute for Food Security CEO Steven Webb.

The goal of the partnership is to provide the beef industry with a faster, secure, and more reliable pathway to gaining genetic insights and certifying pedigree.