A number of years ago my writing assignment was to visit the farm equipment/products
section of several state fairs and write a cover article for Acreage Magazine. I packed up my notebook (what lap-top?) and 35mm camera and made the rounds. Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa all had state fairs (Michigan has since closed shop) and what I found surprised me.
Gone were the large displays of farm and ranch equipment. At the Michigan State Fair I didn't see one tractor over 30hp. In Illinois the total number of farm related displays, located in a valley of the fairgrounds, amounted to about 35 vendors all dealers. Gone, at nearly each fairgrounds location was any large manufacturer support. If John Deere was there they were in the guise of a dealer, not the manufacturer. In their place were things like the underground "Pet Protector", to house critters if a tornado strikes, with founder Ernie.
That's why the article from my friend Dan Piller, "Agriculture Shows Outstrip Fairs' Impact" in the Des Moines Register didn't much surprise me. It's been this way for years. The reason? Target marketing.
While the Iowa State Fair boosts attendance of over 1 million the vast majority are folks who don't know a plow from a planter. (OK, Jake knows this an Case Combine, Jovie doesn't have a clue.) This week Boone, Iowa will host the Farm Progress Show outside of the small town on the relatively new permanent grounds. The show will attract over 200,000 folks who will wander among 577 exhibitors many of whom are manufacturers/distributors of farm equipment and goods. A few days later these same exhibitors will head to the Husker Harvest Days event in tiny Wood River, six miles west of Grand Island, NE.
These two shows, managed by the same company, are among the largest of hundreds of farm shows across the country and are vastly different than state fair offerings. For weeks ahead of these events agri-business companies have been inviting growers to stop by their booth to see what's new and perhaps attend special parties and events all designed to get farmers to "kick the tires" and actually buy. It's a controlled environment that is dedicated to agriculture and they have gotten bigger and better.
None of us who cover farm news will forget when Farm Progress was a "traveling event" and camped out in various cities. One year, in Springfield, IL it rained for days ahead of the show and exhibitors were forced to wade through mud bogs shin high. That's all coming to an end with permanent sites and paved streets. According to Dan's story the 50 acre Boone site will be used by the Iowa Department of Transportation for a "paving experiment" meaning the grounds will have "real roads" by 2014.
Agriculture is big business here in the Midwest and while the farm shows lack the "flavor" of state fairs they have become a major marketing tool for the industry. But, will they have double bacon-wrapped corn dogs? Nope...and that's a shame.
By the way, the hashtag for Twitter is #FPS12 just in case you want to keep up and connect with others during the show. If you want to comment on this story here, feel free. We can also connect on Twitter @RuralLiferRadio. See you in Boone!
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