Underhill says XPO will always call Stratford home.
After 10 years of putting on one of the biggest Canadian farming exhibitions with just himself and his team, Jordan Underhill will now have an experienced international backer.
The German Agricultural Society (DLG), a politically independent and non-profit organization based in Frankfurt, Germany, has acquired Underhill Enterprise Inc. as an expansion into North America.
Anyone worried about what that means for the annual Canadian Dairy XPO and Stratford, the city which has hosted it for a decade, has nothing to fear according to Underhill.
“One of the reasons why we aligned with DLG … they didn’t want to make major material changes to the event in terms of where it’s located, in terms of the culture of the event, the groups that it gives back to, the history of the event,” Underhill said. “They wanted to protect all that and saw that as very important.”
With long-term commitments to the City of Stratford, Underhill told the Times there are “zero plans or discussions” on moving the event.
Underhill has been in talks with DLG since 2018, although his company was never officially for sale. He said for this to have happened, he needed to make sure it was the best move for the Canadian Dairy XPO, the primary feature of his company, and for the City of Stratford as well.
During the most recent show in 2024, he said representatives met with him, Mayor Martin Ritsma and former mayor Dan Mathieson in order to get a feel for the city and make sure it was a good fit.
“I am a believer that breathing some new life into any business at some point is really important, both to take it to the next level and to ensure that it’s sustainable into the future,” Underhill said.
Next year, Underhill said there will be a push to digitize the show, to have more media options in terms of apps, conference schedules, touch-screen maps to navigate the event and webcasting to extend the experience longer than just the few days it takes over the Stratford Rotary Complex.
Additionally, Underhill will be working with DLG to develop a new trade fair for U.S.-based dairy farmers in 2025. It will premiere in Burlington, Vt. and will present technical innovations from exhibitors and practical farming know-how from the DLG and professional partners, with further information becoming available later in autumn.
Underhill is confident that with DLG and the city as a partner, they will have enough resources to expand into the U.S. market. He further stated there are avenues he would like to see expanded in Stratford as well, to accommodate CDX if it grows.
A bigger venue and more parking would be beneficial, but there will need to be more hotel rooms available.
In a media release, DLG stated the acquisition will strengthen its offering to farming professionals in the North American market. Underhill Enterprise Inc. will be integrated into DLG North America, a new subsidiary based in Toronto.
“Jordon Underhill and his team have successfully developed the Canadian Dairy XPO, an exhibition he founded, into the most important industry meeting place in Canada in just 10 years,” Jens Kremer, managing director of DLG International, said in the same announcement release. “We look forward to continuing this work with Jordon.”
A lifelong bovine farmer who continues to raise beef cattle to this day, Underhill established his company in 2010 and launched CDX in 2013 to meet the needs of Canada’s dairy farmers. The aim was to offer Canadian dairy producers access to global knowledge to ensure their operations were efficient, profitable and sustainable for generations to come.
Now, CDX is the leading trade fair for the Canadian dairy farming industry and attracts 350 exhibitors and more than 17,000 visitors a year.
“I don’t really see a downside to the acquisition,” Underhill said. “And that was really important to me. My legacy is not about me personally. The legacy of this event is about benefiting the Canadian dairy industry for the next 100 plus years.”
The Local Journalism Initiative is paid for by the federal government.
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