Farm Show Begins Today, Bigger Than Ever
One of the biggest farm shows in Indiana gets underway Tuesday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The Indiana/Illinois Farm Equipment show has packed the West pavilion with the latest in farm equipment and technology. Show manager Dick Sherman said this year they literally ran out of room, “No doubt the equipment is getting bigger as farmers need larger and larger equipment to get the crops in and out of their fields quickly on larger and larger farms. We even changed the show floor layout to fit more equipment in, and we still ran out of space.” He added that every part of the 170,000 square feet of the building is filled. In addition, many 10×10 booths are featuring some of the latest technology needed on today’s farms.
Good weather this week is expected to bring good crowds, because buying big equipment is hands on, “At this show you can touch it, crawl under it, sit in it and talk to the dealers selling it.” Sherman said the show offers something the internet can’t — a chance to really evaluate what you are going to buy. Despite lower commodity prices, exhibitor attendance is up, with over a dozen exhibitors being turned away for lack of space.
Again this year, Hoosier Ag Today is sponsoring free seminars each day. Tuesdays topic is drones and big data. Jim Love, a Boone County farmer and noted authority on the application of drones and robotics in farming operations , will present a program showcasing the latest technology and discussing how to put it to work to increase productivity. Also on the program will be Jim Shertzer, with FARMserver, a division of Beck’s Hybrids. He will discuss issues growers need to consider before sharing their farm data and how best to evaluate the many different data analysis services now available in the marketplace. Todd Janzen, attorney at Plews Shadley Racher and Braun, will be on hand to advise farmers on how to use drones and not get fined by the FAA and to discuss some of the legal and privacy issues surround the use of farm data.
All seminars begin at 11am and will be hosted by Hoosier Ag Today broadcasters Gary Truitt, Andy Eubank, and Cayla McLeland. Again for 2014, the seminars are sponsored by Sikich, a leading accounting, advisory, technology and managed services firm. Door prizes will also be awarded.