Stratford Times September 20, 2024 CDX’s home will always be Stratford, despite recent international acquisition, according to founder CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter After 10 years of putting on one of the iggest 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 Frank- furt, 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 ma- jor material changes to the event in terms of where it's located, in terms of the cul- ture of the event, the groups that it gives back to, the history of the event,’ Under- 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, May- or 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 ex- 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 pres- ent technical innovations from exhibitors and practical farming know-how from the DLG and professional partners, with fur- ther 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 av- enues 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 ac- quisition will strengthen its offering to farming professionals in the North Amer- ican market. Underhill Enterprise Inc. will be integrated into DLG North America, a new subsidiary based in Toronto. 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 contin- ues to raise beef cattle to this day, Under- hill 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 opera- tions were efficient, profitable and sustain- able for generations to come. Now, CDX is the leading trade fair for the Canadian dairy farming industry and attracts 350 exhibitors and more tl 17,000 visitors a year. “T don't really see a downside to the ac- uisition,” 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 hill said. “They wanted to protect all that and saw that as very important.” perience longer than just the few days it “Jordon Underhill and his team have dairy industry for the next 100 plus years.” HPCDSB approves new strategic plan CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 communities to more fully commit to their spiritual lives, and to support the families in their parishes with their tran- sitions as they immerse themselves more in the Catholic faith. When it comes to improving math and literacy among students, the plan has set a goal for HPCDSB students to be in the top 15 per cent in the province on EQAO assessments among English school boards. : “We're continuing to try and drive improvements in those two areas,” Roehrig said. “We’ve positioned ourselves in the top 20 per cent in the province, so obviously we're looking to improve on those achievements. On the literacy side ... there’s a program in place to improve results for everybody, but then we’re also focusing on students who have needs on top of that as well, and it’s the same for mathematics. “On the literacy side, it’s really rooted in the science of reading, which is sort of a new approach to reading that’s based more on scientific evidence, and with mathematics we're just trying to be more precise in the classroom with what we want teachers to be doing with mathematics in- struction.” With respect to STEM and supporting career it lead to the trades, Roehrig said the board is building on past success. Students in STEM classes will have more oppor- tunities to learn through real-life experiences in industries like robotics and coding. F i “The whole experiential-learning program is rooted in strong partnerships with the community, and particularly, the business community who have been traditionally very supportive for us,” Roehrig said. “So, we'll be continuing to look to them to provide extended opportunities for stu- dents to learn in their settings.” Finally, the school is aiming to improve student atten- dance by 20 per cent which, along with having students in class learning, has two other important benefits. Book Shelf MELANIE KINDRACHUK Serasford Public Library The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki Translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood @SPL FIC Mochi The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a Japa- nese bestseller, just out in English. The lovely cover gives hints at the themes: cats and astrology. are changed when they encounter the mysterious Full Moon Coffee Shop, a food truck which only serves customers what they need (no orders allowed). As our first character finds the shop, in a park under the stars, she is surprised to be served by cats. And talking cats who walk on two feet and wear an apron, too! These cats are forms taken by greater beings, who then explain the stars and planets to the customer, showing them THE FULL MOON COFFEE ‘SHOP their astrological charts and pointing out why they are stuck and the attitudes to take to move on to the next phase of their lives. If you already know something about astrology or if you're very interested in it, you'll get a bit more out of these sections. The book follows five characters who are all changed by their individually crafted desserts at the Full Moon Coffee Shop. As the book progresses, we are shown links between the characters and why they might have been lucky enough to have received this guidance at just the right moment. It goes back to childhood and kindness to cats. Mixed in to the novel is some solid life advice, no matter what house your rising planet is in. Receiving life advice from unexpected sources reminds me of What You Are Looking For Is In the Li- brary by Michiko Aoyama, which even has the same episodic structure and loose connections between characters. They might be good companion reads, if you can take that high a dose of quirk- iness all at once! “What we noticed post-COVID was a real decline in over- all attendance and we also notice that’s had effects in two in areas,” Roehrig said. “One is around student mental “health and the second is around achievement. Our hope is obviously tudents are at / engage at school ... that their mental-health outcomes improve and their achievement improves.” To read the HPCDSB 2024-2027 strategic plan in full, si Holi iat i visit ip vision-our-mission/. Optimist Club of Downie Inc. OPTI-CASH CALENDAR DRAW August 25 Brittany Stolz, Stratford . - $50.00 August 26 Joan Seftel, Stratford . . . . -$50.00 August 27 Kathy Roth, Stratford .......-.. $50.00 August 28 Jodi Cawston, Stratford ....... . $50.00 August 29 Josh Heinbuch, Shakespeare . . . . $50.00 August 30 Marilyn Dixon, Lucan .... . $50.00 August 31 Trevor Caven, Stratford. .....- -$200.00 Sept. 01 Charlie Near, St. Marys .... $1000.00 Sept. 02 Greg & Connie Richardson, Lucan $50.00 Sept. 03 Wayne & Sandy Carson, Georgian Bluffs $50.00 Sept 04 Brent Shackleton, Stratford .. . $50.00 Sept. 05 Roy Menard, St. Marys ...... $50.00 Sept. 06 Mary Ash, St.Pauls ......... $50.00 Sept. 07 Aaron Bald, Stratford .....- $200.00 ALL OF THE CALENDARS HAVE BEEN SOLD @ Franklin E. Hinz 196 Ontario Street, Stratford 519-273-1633