Each year, the Alberta Livestock Expo brings together hundreds of livestock producers and suppliers for two days.
The event landed in Lethbridge on Wednesday for a fifth year and welcomed AG experts, speakers and exhibitors from across North America.
The event provides Southern Alberta producers an opportunity to partner, grow and expand their operations with new technologies.
The past few years put many in a tight position because of COVID-19, high inflation and supply chain issues.
COO William Vis of Envirotech Ag Systems Ltd., a supplier from Manitoba providing equipment and building solutions for livestock producers, says things are finally returning to normal.
“We used to get a container to Southern Alberta for about $9,000. During COVID, it went up to about $18,000 to $20,000.
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“It’s dropped back down now to about $10 or $12 (thousand) so it’s definitely gone better the other way,” said Vis. “Supply chains are slowly starting to catch up now, so it is getting better. But that hangover is going to last, probably, my estimation is at least another year.”
Vis says the overall agriculture industry remains strong in southern Alberta, which is what keeps him coming back year after year.
Some newer vendors also shared their innovative ideas and products.
First-timer Tim Timmons, a manager with Beef InFocus, expressed his excitement to connect with beef and dairy producers to showcase his genetic engineering model.
“We create genetics to compliment dairy cows to make a better crop of animal. So, some of those will be replacements, baby heffer calves, other dairy cows, that will one day be part of the milking heard,” said Timmons.
“And some of the rest of the cows can be bred to some strategic beef genetics so that those calves will be grown developed and part of the supply chain.”
Timmons also spoke at the Innovation in Dairy conference, which expo organizers say was a great addition to this year’s event and something they hope they can expand on next year.