It’s easy to get lost in what’s happening when you hear the term “farm show.”
One thing you know is there will be a flood of well-worn pickups, baseball caps, and blue jeans filling Memorial Coliseum’s Expo and Conference centers during the 36th annual Fort Wayne Farm Show, Jan 14-16.
There’s no doubt that there are a lot of working men — and more than a few working women — milling about. There are all kinds of tractors and implements that only belong in the barn or field.
When you get inside the show, you’ll quickly learn how farms are driven by high-tech machines and devices that shatter your notions about agriculture.
Call it a hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics showcase with work gloves. One look inside a tractor or combine will show you a control panel with so many applications it resembles a spaceship.
Fort Wayne Farm Show
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14
9 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16
Memorial Coliseum
4000 Parnell Ave., Fort Wayne
Free · (260) 483-1111
Staying abreast on industry
Listed by AgDaily.com as one of the top 11 shows in the country, promoters say it draws 28,000-30,000 people over the three days.
Attendees come for solutions and to follow industry trends. Let’s not forget they love to meet other farmers and friends.
Perfectly sandwiched between late fall harvest and early spring planting, the show draws visitors from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Others regularly come from Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“These farmers come from all over,” said the show’s manager, Dan Slowinski.
His company, Tradeexpos, has organized the show the past 36 years.
Exhibitors offer products that save time and money. Farmers are busy enough, and the show gives them essential education.
“Companies want to be here because (showgoers) want to get their product,” Slowinski said. “It’s hard to reach 25,000 farmers alone, in one spot, and that’s where we need to be to get our products in there.”
More than 400 companies from 14 states and Canada fill 1,100 booths, and there’s always a waiting list.
With the latest farm technology and innovation, attendees can find every imaginable device and service for Midwest farms.
They’ll kick the tires and gawk at next-generation products and services on display. It gives farmers real-time answers and the opportunity to probe deep with questions of efficiency, ease of use, and how it works with other technology.
Don’t let the coveralls fool you — farmers are savvy. Slowinski dismisses any myth of farmers lacking education or skills. He says you’ll be hard-pressed to find many people as sharp as a farmer.
“No one hates wasting time or energy more than a farmer,” he said. “So whatever and whenever they can be efficient, that’s what they do.”
Technological advances
Slowinski adds that for non-farmers, it can be a stunning look at how razor-sharp the farming industry is.
“Everything is more efficient,” he said. “Unfortunately, farmland is shrinking, but we have to feed a growing population. You can’t throw away money; you can’t be throwing money away — they want to be as efficient as possible.”
Farms are sophisticated in finding high-tech equipment and making business decisions on the fly. They pilot GPS-aided tractors that pump out real-time information even as they are in the field.
With on-board computers, they can track crops to the square foot to determine soil conditions or crop health. They apply laser-like focus to every part of their operation.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones, started making their mark a few years ago, and their use continues to grow. It’s gone from data collection and surveillance to another implement in their arsenal. They can spray fertilizer or pesticides faster and with better coverage.
While the technology is snowballing, it’s still personal. The information age doesn’t change that.
“You can look up some of this information online, but I think there’s nothing better than shaking hands and looking someone in the eye, making a deal, and exchanging information,” Slowinski said. “There’s an element to that face-to-face that you can’t replicate.”
There’s a deep respect among both exhibitors and attendees.
“It’s the (agriculture) industry,” Slowinski said. “People do it because they have a passion for it. They truly care about it. That makes it more interesting.”
Attendees will probably take a cautious but optimistic approach with a new administration in the White House.
“The economy is always a factor. It’s going to be a hot topic,” Slowinski said. “People will be more thoughtful and spend more time comparing apples to apples.”
Seminars offer answers
Because the business is rife with calculated gambles, there will be seminars led by the Northeast Indiana Soil and Water Conservation District, Purdue Cooperative Extension, and other industry experts.
Farmers can dig into animal nutrition or soil conservation. One of the most popular seminars is a panel discussion tackling long-term weather projections and international and national economic conditions to give a forecast of grain markets for the next year.
As always, the Indiana FFA Scholarship Foundation will hold a fundraising auction with donated items at the show. Proceeds benefit FFA scholarships and other programs.
All attendees enter a drawing to win two grand prize giveaways: a Toro zero-turn lawn mower and a Toro snow blower provided by Plevna Implement in Garrett.
Just as technology improves, Slowinski says the show changes.
“Even if you’ve been to every show, I promise, you’ll see something new this year,” he said. “I’m still learning stuff every day. Somebody that doesn’t have a farm or (agriculture) background will find it fascinating to learn the entire process, from the farmers growing the product to transportation people.”