Next week Manitoba AG DAYS will once again transform the Keystone Centre in Brandon into the largest indoor farm show in Western Canada!

With over 550 exhibitors, plus many speakers and presentations, and 32 contenders in their annual Innovation Showcase, it proves to be another stellar event!

"As far as an indoor farm show we are the largest in Western Canada," says Ag Days Office Manager, Christine Roskos.  "It boggles my mind at every show as to just how much it takes to put it all together.  We look at over 800 applications that come through, for exhibitors we welcome 550, so it's communicating with each of those exhibitors.  It's getting their liability insurance, payment, and booth details, and so it's always that constant communication, starting in the summertime and continuing till show time, if not past that." 

"And we're always thinking ahead, so we're already thinking about the 2025 show!" she adds.

Roskos has been a member of the administration team since 2012.  She says many things have changed over the past 12 years in putting the ag show together, especially as it has grown in every way.

"We've seen an increase in space. Within the time from start to now, we've increased by now using the Brandon Curling Club, so we had lots of changes there. There's also been changes in the floor plan, definitely in technology and how we take payments. And how we go through the application process has become seamlessly online," she adds.

A major boost to their Ag Days Gives Back initiative has been a boost to many community organizations over the years.   "This has definitely been a huge growth for us, as well as the 50/50 raffle that we do in order to fund all of the community initiatives."

Back in 2012 Roskos says Ag Days implemented their 'give back' initiative through the University of Manitoba School of Agriculture and Assiniboine Community College.  "Then as we progressed and our raffle grew to larger sums, our desire to give to our communities where our producers and exhibitors live became a focus and a goal for us. And so, increasing that amount that we give back became very important to us as a Board and an organization."

Agriculture in Classroom is another important aspect of Ag Days for Roskos. 

"Having three kids who have gone through the school system and seeing the disconnect that there is at times and wanting to support Ag in the Classroom and their initiative to increase that knowledge is very important to me, both through Manitoba Ag Days but also as a community member, and a mom."

With a busy life on their farm in Dufresne, southeast of Winnipeg, Christine is stepping down as office manager of Ag Days to pursue more adventures with her family. She says that includes delving deeper into their farm and family time. Jonothon and Christine and their 3 teenagers, Chelsea, Logan, and Chloe, live on the Roskos family homestead. His grandfather, a Czech immigrant, settled in Dufresne in 1929. Jonothon is third generation and has had his own season involved in the Ag Days farm show.  A dozen or so years ago Jonothon was co-chair of Manitoba Ag Days.

Christine Roskos says it has been a wonderful 12 years working with General Manager, Kristen Phillips, and the rest of the Ag Days team. "The Ag Days organization has been very much of a family for me so it will be very difficult to leave."

Please listen to more with Christine Roskos below!