Page 62 - InvestinAlberta-EDA-2024-2
P. 62
SELLING
THE FARM
Photo Supplied
New trade centre will boost Southern Alberta’s agricultural industry
BY BREANNA MROCZEK
IN 1912, THE Lethbridge and District Exhibition agricultural society facilitated a gathering of more than 6,000 delegates — more people than lived in the community at the time — for the World Dry Farming Congress. The event showcased farming practices in arid climates.
That legacy of hosting showstopping agricultural and agri-food events, and highlighting the strengths of Southern Alberta, continues with a new 268,000-square-foot Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre that opened in Lethbridge, about 200 kilometres south of Calgary, in August 2023. The facility is critical to supporting Lethbridge in showcasing the strengths of Canada’s Premier Food Corridor to the world. “It’s a dynamic hosting space and will be central to showcasing the agricultural sector here in Southern Alberta,” says Ben Young, Economic Development Lethbridge’s Director of Investment Attraction. “The Trade Centre is a great new modern facility that stays true to its agricultural roots, and it really elevates the experience audiences can have here in Lethbridge.”
The facility received local, provincial and federal funding, as well as a first-time
62 INVEST IN ALBERTA 2 0 2 4
EDAAlberta.ca