September 17, 2020

Annual stock show in Colorado, US, postponed to 2022

The 115th National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, the United States, has been postponed to January 8 to January 23, 2022.

The Western Stock Show Association (WSSA) announced that the annual livestock show will not be held in 2021. Paul Andrews, president, and chief executive officer, said that the board and officials exhausted all options on how to safely host the event but "could not find a path forward" to comply with rules governing gatherings and social distancing.

"The COVID-19 pandemic does not allow for the stock show to host the annual event and comply with the health and safety guidelines that are necessary to protect Coloradans and help stop the spread," the association said in a news release.

"More importantly, the projected environment through to the end of the year is too uncertain and therefore not reassuring enough to allow a traditional stock show to take place without potentially compromising the health and safety of exhibitors, visitors and the public at large," the association added.

Considered to be the Super Bowl of livestock shows, the show in Denver draws more than 700,000 attendees during its 16-day run, with a daily attendance of more than 65,000 people on site. The show not only boasted multiple cattle breeds but also included a large trade show, horse shows and professional rodeo competition.

Numerous Canadian beef cattle breeders typically attend the show and many have had success in the international competition.

The Denver event joined a long list of livestock shows that were cancelled because of the pandemic. On the Canadian Prairies, COVID-19 has led to cancellation or drastic alterations to major livestock shows.

Canadian Western Agribition, which was scheduled for November 30 to December 5, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, announced plans for a "virtual" purebred beef show designed to allow breeders to showcase their stock through video presentations.

- The Western Producer