Taber is famous for its corn, and its sugar beets and potato industry.
So, just how do you cash in on all of that?
The Town of Taber and the Canadian Badlands tourism association think they have found an answer to that question — an agricultural interpretive centre.
Taber Mayor Ray Bryant said the idea is still in its infancy, and added work is under way to determine if it would be a workable idea for the community.
“It’s my understanding a firm has been allocated $250,000 to do a feasibility study in regards to an agricultural interpretive centre. The firm would come in and do all the necessary leg work to get us to the next level.”
The Canadian Bandlands group applied for the funds for the study through the Rural Alberta Development Fund. Bryant added the idea is to showcase something unique to Taber, a town that is not blessed with some of the natural tourist traps of some other communities in the badlands area.
“Some municipalities have natural tourist things there, and when you look at Taber, what do we have? We don’t have the hoodoos and some of the other natural features, but they quickly realized we are quite the agricultural community.”
And so, the idea of exploiting that advantage was developed.
“In order to get tourists to stop in Taber, the ideas was thought of for an agricultural interpretive centre,” said Bryant.
He added due to security concerns and other issues, members of the general public are not allowed into the Taber area’s many food-processing plants. To learn more about the technology behind these plants, and the agricultural process in general, an interpretive centre may be just the ticket for those interested in how food comes from the field and to their plates.
The potential also exists for a multi-purpose building, which would not only house the interpretive centre but allow room for expanded offices for other tourist operations.
“If that’s going to happen, there is a possibility of moving the chamber and the tourist information centre, as well as the museum, all into the same area,” said Bryant. “That’s in the long term — the short term is the feasibility study.”
A potential location has even been scouted, kitty corner from the new Taber Police Station. Bryant added that highway visibility, along with easy access from Highway 3, would make that location ideal.
He went on to say the centre would have a host of potential benefits for Taber.
“To me, that would be a very welcome addition to our community, and it would give people another reason to stop in our community. We’re anxious to get the study going.”