Islands Agriculture Show

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Hotel tiers

A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

Local transport

Get around the city with these convenient transport options.

Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)

Provincial zoning in British Columbia that keeps designated farmland in agricultural use. It shapes what Vancouver Island producers can build, subdivide or expand, and it comes up whenever show visitors ask about farm expansion or succession.

2

Forage

Grass, legume and mixed crops grown to feed livestock as pasture, hay, haylage or silage. Forage quality and yield are core buying criteria for the Island's beef, dairy, sheep and horse operations.

3

Silage and baleage

Fermented conserved forage stored in pits, bunkers or wrapped bales. Equipment and wrap suppliers at the show sell the balers, wrappers and inoculants that make the system work in a wet coastal climate.

4

Cover crop

A non-cash crop grown to protect and improve soil between production cycles, often a cereal-legume mix on the Island. Visitors typically compare seed blends, establishment methods and termination timing.

5

Integrated pest management (IPM)

A scouting-led approach that combines cultural, biological and chemical controls only when thresholds justify them. Relevant to vegetable, berry and orchard growers who need to protect pollinators and beneficial insects.

6

Regenerative agriculture

Practices that build soil organic matter, water infiltration and biodiversity, such as reduced tillage, rotational grazing and diverse rotations. Often discussed at the show alongside soil testing and compost applications.

7

Season extension

Structures and techniques (greenhouses, high tunnels, row covers, heated benches) that stretch the short coastal growing window. A mainstay for market gardeners selling into Duncan, Nanaimo and Victoria.

8

Supply management

Canada's regulated system for dairy, poultry and eggs, based on production quota, pricing and import controls. It determines how quota-holding operations on the Island buy equipment, feed and barn technology.

9

Farm gate sales and direct marketing

Selling produce, meat or eggs straight to consumers from the farm, at farmers' markets or through community-supported agriculture boxes. Drives demand for cold storage, labelling, POS and packaging suppliers.

10

Agri-tourism

Farm-based visitor experiences such as u-pick fields, farm tours, wineries, cideries and on-farm events. A growing diversification route for Cowichan Valley operations and a regular show-floor theme.

11

Soil test and amendment

Laboratory analysis of pH, macro- and micronutrients, followed by lime, gypsum, compost or fertiliser applications. Coastal BC soils are often acidic and leached, so amendment advice is a common question at supplier stands.

12

Livestock handling system

The chutes, races, head gates and panels used to move and restrain cattle, sheep, goats or pigs safely. Buyers compare animal-flow design, durability and one-person operation.

13

Precision agriculture and agri-tech

GPS guidance, yield mapping, remote sensors, weather stations and farm-management software used to make input and labour decisions. Adoption on smaller Island farms tends to start with record-keeping apps and soil or weather sensors.

14

Biosecurity

Practices that stop pests, weeds and livestock diseases moving between farms, including clean footwear, disinfection and controlled visitor access. It is why many exhibitors ask visitors to clean boots before entering animal pens.

15

Small-flock and mixed farming

Operations running poultry, sheep, goats or a few pigs alongside crops, common on Vancouver Island. Suppliers pitch equipment sized for small herds rather than large commercial units.

16

Beneficial pollinators and apiculture

Managed honey bees plus native pollinators and habitat plantings that support berry, orchard and seed-crop yields. Beekeeping equipment and pollination services are part of the agriculture supply chain shown at regional farm events.