A Change in Demographics

Since 1922, the Royal has welcomed millions of people. Visitorship is currently at 300,000 yearly. Billed as “Country Comes to the City,” it is the largest indoor agricultural event in the world.

When the Royal opened 97 years ago, 51 per cent of people lived in areas defined by census Canada as rural. In 2011 that number was 18.9 per cent, with Ontario below the National average at 14.1 per cent. Visitor demographics have changed drastically, yet the Royal remains a popular attraction.

Up Close & Personal

There are not many opportunities for city folk to get up close and personal with large animals. With a spate of recent farm invasions by animal rights activists, farmers have become more cautious about revealing their location. Add to that biosecurity risks and it becomes clear why the gap between rural and urban lifestyles continues to widen.

In this regard, the Royal is a chance for farmers to connect with consumers. While the animals in the show ring might have full stands and a live stream, there are arguably more eyes on them in the days leading up as visitors meander down the aisles in the barns.

Closing the Gap

The formal show is important to fellow dairy farmers and potential genetics customers, but just as important are the impressions made on the tens of thousands of first-time visitors, school children and families. Those people who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows and who mistake geese for chickens.

When the care given to these animals is on full display and people see exhausted dairymen and women, bleary-eyed from 3 a.m. shifts sitting on upturned manure buckets, they may realize what these animals represent.

On one hand, they are multi-generational livelihoods, house payments and tuitions. On the other they are a thread tying family histories together.

Many people have been coming to the Royal for decades to show. Many people have been coming to the Royal for decades simply to visit. The effort to close the gap between rural and urban -- to help the other understand, -- is ongoing. Those that continue to attend and show at the Royal contribute greatly to this cause.