The 2009 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show will be such a unique opportunity for dairy farmers to see the latest in dairy technology and more! Held September 15,16 &17, at Canada’s Outdoor Park, in Woodstock, Ontario, the ishow will be the first time in North America,a live robotic milking demonstration will be featured. Showcased by the Lely Astronaut A3 Robotic Milking System and the DeLaval Voluntary Milking System VMS, both robots will operate side-by-side on two herds of 40 cows each – all housed in one facility called the Cover-All Dairy Innovation Centre.
For sixteen years, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) has showcased the latest technology in agriculture. In the world of dairy production, that leading-edge technology is the milking robot. With participation from a host of dairy industry sponsors, the Cover-All Dairy Innovation Centre at COFS will see a major face-lift over the spring and summer; including a 20ft. building extension, a new fabric cover for the Titan, a bigger milk house and a lot more concrete installed. These improvements will allow exhibitors to demonstrate the latest in dairy innovations for years to come.
Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show was established in 1994 to showcase the latest in agricultural technologies and allow farmers the opportunity to “shop and compare” through interactive demonstrations. “Our attendees want to see equipment at work; they want to compare various types of equipment; they want to understand options that will work best for their particular operations,” says Doug Wagner, COFS Vice-President of Park Logistics and Auctions.
COFS founder, the late Ginty Jocius, and his management team sought to create a dairy expo that would exemplify the changing future of dairy. In 2000, with the help of Cover-All, Lely and other key dairy exhibitors, the dream became reality and the Cover-All Dairy Innovation Centre evolved into a landmark attraction for attendees. Nine years later, the COFS team and dairy industry leaders are building on that dream. Once the first in North America to have a live farm show demonstration of a robotic milking system, COFS will now be the first in North America to demonstrate two milking robots side-by-side in a working barn.
Cover-All Building Systems Inc. has stepped up once again and will be the title sponsor of the dairy barn. “We see the value that COFS offers to Ontario farmers; we know the importance of the Show; and we want to support it in anyway we can,” says Ben Hogervorst, Cover-All Dairy Systems of Ontario.
Lely Canada Inc., the cornerstone tenant in the dairy barn for the last nine years, will continue to showcase a variety of innovative technologies.
“Lely Canada, as one of the original companies to partner with Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show to offer informative and interactive product demonstrations, is proud to continue our cooperation with the Show and the other industry exhibitors in this 2009 addition,” says Jerry Claessens,
General Manager of Lely Canada Inc.
DeLaval is the welcomed new addition to the barn and will showcase the VMS along with additional new technologies. “Dairy producers want to see the future and, at DeLaval, we’re pleased to be part of this innovative centre intended to inform dairy farmers about cutting-edge technologies,” says DeLaval Marketing CommunicationsCoordinator, Elizabeth Healey. “Visitors will have the opportunity to see the world leader in milking systems and the DeLaval VMS robotic know-how, specifically developed to improve production and quality of life for the dairy farmer.”