With a record-setting first day, dairy producers grew their attendance from 13,900 in 2014 to 15,200 for 2015. Add 350 qualified exhibitors, representing 32 countries, and you have an abundance of vehicles to park over just two days.

Now 60 acres are available for onsite parking; an estimated two-thirds of the total parking was utilized for CDX 2015, with room to grow. The 2015 CDX survey results showed 98 percent of attending dairy producers and 94 percent of exhibitors were satisfied with the new parking improvements.

“Parking went smooth this year because we listened to our customers and initiated a proactive plan involving great partners,” states Lyndon Stewart, strategic adviser for the Canadian Dairy XPO.

“Together with the City of Stratford, we invested substantial resources to address the parking issues of the past. This investment, along with the great volunteers of the Rotary Club of Stratford, the BDO Shuttle Services and team of officers from Stratford police, allowed producers and exhibitors to focus on doing business, networking and learning.”

Other measurable stats from the 2015 XPO include: 94 percent of attendees are active dairy producers, with 51 percent falling into the youthful 20 to 35 age bracket, 74 percent of attending producers reported milking over 70 cows and 83 percent reported cropping between 250 and 5,000 acres.

Sixty-five percent of attending producers milk out of a freestall barn setup. Fifty-two percent of producers said they are considering implementing milking robot technology, with 21 percent reporting to already having one or more milking robots in operation on-farm. When asked their main reason for considering milking robot technology, the top answer was to increase efficiency, followed by implementation for the next generation and thirdly, more free time with the family.

Sixty-two percent of attendees traveled more than 100 kilometres to attend CDX and 15 percent came from out of province or out of country. CDX is now drawing dairy producers from each Canadian province, bordering the U.S. and into South America and Europe.

CDX has become a hub for Canadian and North American product launches, including the new Jaylor self-loading mixer, the DHI mobile app for herd management, the GEA milking robot arm for rotary parlors, the John Deere five-second round baler, the Kubota continuous round baler and the DeLaval teat spray robot and body condition score camera.

Attendance was noticeably up in the Maizex Dairy Classroom, with a star-studded speaker lineup. Forty-one percent of producers stated they attended one or more speakers. A pedigree producer panel and an organic producer panel were new Maizex Dairy Classroom highlights.

Well-known producer Marc Comtois, from Comestar Holsteins in Victoriaville, Quebec, sat on the pedigree producer panel and was thrilled with his first experience at CDX. “There’s an energy level at CDX that’s hard to explain. The large scale event covers all facets of modern dairy production, and if you don’t see it at CDX, it probably doesn’t exist. I will return for CDX 2016!”

The focus and impact of CDX can again be seen in the survey stats as 45 percent of CDX attendees stated they do not attend any other farm shows in Canada. Eighty-nine percent of exhibitors said there is no other event in Canada that gives them more direct access to Canadian dairy producers.

So what’s the formula for success? When asked, CDX founder and general manager Jordon Underhill states, “Create real value for attending producers and build a culture that involves producers, exhibitors and the community of Stratford. One cannot sustain without the other, as the event needs to work for everyone involved.”

Underhill talks about being proud of giving back to groups such as Junior Farmers, 4-H, Stratford Ag Society, Rotary Club of Stratford, University of Guelph Dairy Innovation Centre and supporting sponsorship of several producer meetings and events. “Making a difference is the essence of good business, and we will continue to support the greater dairy community,” states Underhill.  PD

—From Canadian Dairy XPO news release

PHOTOS
PHOTO 1: There was plenty of parking for the 2015 Canadian Dairy XPO.

PHOTO 2: The pedigree producer panelists. Photos provided by the Canadian Dairy XPO.