It had to be a very special occasion for outgoing OVSGA President Barry Dean to have four generations of his family with him for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the 2025 OVSGA Farm Show. Tinkess Photo
OTTAWA – The 2025 Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association Farm Show was held at the EY Centre in Ottawa’s south end March 11-13, and from all reports, it was a resounding success.
The three-day event attracted more than 13,000 attendees, and with 360 exhibitors, there was something for everyone, whether you make your living off the land, support those who do, or just like to dream about what it might be like.
The event opened with a bit of pomp and circumstance, with a piper and a drummer leading a parade of dignitaries into the main lobby next to the North Gower Grains dining hall.
Farm show general manager Lauren Casselman displayed her background in music with a resounding rendition of Oh Canada, which was followed by opening remarks by some of the dignitaries, starting with OVSGA President Barry Dean.
Dean spoke about how much wearing the purple shirts that signify the OVSGA means and gave thanks to his predecessors for what they had handed down to him and all the members and gave credit to all the members of the association for the work they put into making sure the farm show is a success each and every year. He then introduced his family, who he was proud to have with him, before turning the mic over to John Jordan, MPP for Lanark Frontenac Kingston.
This show is very important to Ontario, especially now, and important particularly for me,” said MPP Jordan. “My riding is Lanark from Kingston to Eastern Ontario. And I love the theme, the innovation theme, because innovation is so much a part of what this ministry is trying to do, and that’s grow Ontario. So, thanks to everybody for being here.
“I want to make a special thanks to the people in the burgundy shirts and all. Volunteers past and present that make this show such a huge success, and once again, sold out.”
MPP Jordan then went on to introduce Stephan Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, George Darouze, the newly elected MPP for Carleton, and finally the Honourable Rob Flack, the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness.
Minister Flack spoke of his familiarity with eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley and agriculture, and the longevity of both the Ottawa Valley Seed Growers who will be 100 years old in a couple years, the show itself which started in 1958. “Tradition lingers on strong, and you’re doing a great job representing and advocating for your customers and your particular businesses and industry,” said Minister Flack. “You know, we’re in some challenging times, but when you think of agri-food in Ontario, let me give you a few stats: $51 billion in GDP; $51 billion. We employ 871,000 from the farm gate to the consumer’s plate. So that’s everybody in the food continuum. That’s up 30,000 since 2018, one in nine jobs in this province.
“We’re renewable, we’re sustainable, and we’re going to keep it that way.”
After recognizing a few other important groups in the ag community, it was time to cut the red ribbon to officially open the show. With four generations of Dean’s front and centre, the ribbon was cut, and the show was officially opened.
The theme for the 2025 show was The Showcase for Ag Innovation, and there were certainly several examples of that, from robotics, to AI, to concepts that even a couple years ago would have seemed impossible. There is a lot of innovation occurring in Canada, and a lot of it is taking place in the agricultural segment.
As you walked around, and if you stopped to ask questions, it also became clear that there is an awful lot of choice to be had when you want to shop Canadian. It may not have been something that was stressed as much in previous years, but the political climate in 2025 makes buying Canadian a better choice than ever.
And while there was certainly a futuristic feel to many of the exhibits, there was also a lot of nostalgia, from the 4-H displays to the various examples of produce and their respective competitions, and on to the Vintage Iron display, which attracts a huge crowd where ever they are displayed.
The EY centre is a huge facility, and it was quite possible to spend a day or more just walking around and chatting with the vendors, or others who were just there to enjoy the show. It covered a lot of area, and it required a lot of steps, but every one of them was worthwhile.
