A world’s fair of what’s happening in agriculture comes to the central Iowa town of Boone this week with the 61st annual Farm Progress Show.
Dena Morgan, marketing specialist for the event, expects up to 100,000 people to tour the grounds during the three-day event, which starts tomorrow.
Morgan says, “All of the major exhibitors will be here, Deere, Case, New Holland, AGCO, Monsanto, Syngenta, just about every company or any product or service that has to do with agriculture will have somebody here.”
When the show started in the 1950s, the event moved between Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. In 2005, it was decided the show would be held in Boone and Decatur, Illinois every other year. The permanent facility in Boone continues to expand.
“When the show site was originally built in 2008 we had 12 streets,” Morgan says. “In 2012, we sold out of all that exhibit space so we added this 13th street. This year, we have oversold that area and had to create an annex.”
That annex in the north parking lot area includes 40 new exhibitors who haven’t been to the show before, including Caterpillar and McCormick. The show is located near Highway 30 and Highway 17 east of Boone.
Learn more at www.farmprogressshow.com
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City