Farm and agricultural events are more than just "trade shows." These festival-type meetings do many things within the farming community. They are a way for vendors and others to showcase work and products, a way for the community to come together and honor traditions and much more. Regional farm and ag events get the attention of not just farmers, but nearly everyone who lives in the area.

For farm businesses that want to keep up on what's happening with events for agriculture at home or around the country, the web can help guide users toward events, help with details or be a "reminder" that there will be an event for agriculture at a particular time and place. Farm businesses can use the web resources on agricultural events news and trends:

1. For anticipating a venue where agricultural conventions or conferences give opportunities to sell products to the public or to sell livestock to specific buyers.

2. For finding out about ways to assist with agricultural conferences or events and get community visibility, or join up with other farm businesses to promote a product or activity.

3. For interacting with and learning from other businesses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for agricultural events in farm 'journals'

Just like other trades, farming has its own collection of publications that have gone online to better inform readers about what's coming up in agriculture. Use magazine 'calendars' and other resources to keep an eye on upcoming events.

I recommend: Find regional agriculture events from the forum at the Farm Journal, a national publication geared toward farming life and business. Get more rosters of events from trade publications like Farming Magazine.

Use directory or link sites to find out about agricultural events

Another way a reader can get news and trends on agricultural industry events is with 'directory' type sites that link to anything and everything, but often with a method to the madness. Browse through and find relevant content to agricultural events that interest the business.

I recommend: With sites like Dipity, web surfers can link to agricultural conference pages through "tags" and posts connected to each other across a series of visually appealing hyperlinks. For a more formal source, get access to an agriculture events calendar from the Agriculture Network Information Center, a USDA supported volunteer site.

Look for specific farm show or agricultural events sites

Another way a business can get details on an agricultural trade show or similar event is by going directly to the web page for that event. If the event is big enough to have its own site, features of the site may help in registration, or getting additional info on what is included there.

I recommend: Check out sites like this one for the Big Iron Farm Show in the midwest to see how everything goes down there. Or find other farm show events by facility, where dedicated venues like this Pennsylvania Farm Show and Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA, provide continual info through a website.

Attending agriculture industry events can enhance your business. These agricultural trade shows, conferences, conventions, and other events are ideal for obtaining industry-specific knowledge that you can use to improve operations and make smarter decisions about your agricultural operation.

It is well worth your time to attend these events. You can talk to industry insiders one-on-one and get tools and information to strengthen your business and increase profits. As you attend agricultural events:

1. Find new sources for products and services through vendors at agricultural trade shows.
2. Maintain contact with existing suppliers.
3. Keep an eye on your competition at agricultural events.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research major agricultural events

Time is money, and you don't want to waste your time by attending agricultural trade shows, agricultural conventions, or agricultural conferences if it is not going to benefit you. There are comprehensive online calendars to help you research which events to attend.

I recommend: BizTradeShows.com has a listing of the upcoming events, including farming and agricultural events, listed on their website. If you are looking for a specific agricultural conference, ConferenceAlerts.com has listings on their website, and you can also subscribe to receive updates for free.

Find agricultural events to fit your specialty

Don't waste time going to events for agriculture that don't relate directly to your business. You can find agriculture events that are specific to your business needs.

I recommend: World Dairy Expo is specific for the dairy farmer, focusing on the finest in dairy genetics and the newest in technology. Western Farm Show offers the latest in farm and livestock equipment and resources including large farm equipment, implements, and other products. If you are a woman running a farm, you'll find the Midwest Women in Agriculture Conference helpful, as it addresses the issues that women face on the farm and off.

Join an agricultural association and attend their agriculture events

Joining and agricultural association can provide you with easily accessible information. Typically, there are different levels of membership for an individual or a company. These also provide an excellent way to network.

I recommend: Being an association member of International Association of Fairs and Expositions gives you many benefits such as a magazine that is published six times a year, a way to network, and a listing of events in your state or province. AgSafe is another association that has an annual agricultural conference. Their member benefits include a member certificate, a newsletter subscription, a membership directory, notice of AgSafe sponsored events, and discounts to AgSafe sponsored events and other services.

Work an agricultural trade show while attending

Make the most out of an event for agriculture by not only attending, but by hosting an exhibit. This is a great way to get in front of current customers and prospects.

I recommend: HowStuffWorks offers a guide on how trade shows work. It also has a checklist to help you know what you will need to plan for your booth at the expo. Trade-Show-Advisor.com is loaded with information on how to maximize your agricultural trade show success. Use this website to help you plan your strategy, find trade shows, marketing, booth entertainment, and trade show staffing.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take a folder with you to collect the business cards and brochures you get at agricultural events. You can always organize them when you get back to the office. You might even want to include a digital camera and a small hand-held digital recorder to keep track of what you see. You can take a picture to see what a piece of equipment looked like and describe it into the recorder for further reference.

As you study the many events for agriculture, you can see there are all sorts of agricultural events types and styles. From a one-day conference for agriculture that’s trade specific to one sector of agri-business, to weeklong agricultural conventions designed to promote the entire agriculture industry, you can find a type and style to fit your operation's needs.

To find the right agriculture events for your time and money, select agricultural events best suited for your product. For example, if you have a piece of equipment that can help farmers plant their crops with a higher degree of efficiency, you need to find an agriculture event that focuses on crop planting. The agricultural conferences you choose should be:

1. Well-known, established agricultural conventions.

2. Well-advertised agricultural trade shows.

3. Well-managed agricultural conferences.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find events for agriculture that feature machinery

Farm equipment showcases are a good way to introduce new products to farmers. Many states host state fairs where you can introduce your product to new consumers. General ag expos are another good type of event for agriculture that let you meet new potential customers while you showcase your products.

I recommend: Participate in the agricultural conferences that make up the World Ag Expo held in Tulare, California each year. One of the largest agriculture industry events in the United States, the event features field and row crop equipment. The Sunbelt Ag Expo of Moultrie, Georgia is one of the leading agriculture events in the southern United States. This expo showcases new equipment technologies as well as conferences for agriculture information.

Demonstrate how your product works at agricultural events

Find one of the many field demonstration conferences. Many state universities offer field trials and demonstration days as small conferences that would allow you to demonstrate your product. You can also participate in the larger events that last several days.

I recommend: The Farm Progress Show, sponsored by Farm Progress Companies, is one of the premier events for agriculture. Alternating between Boone, Iowa and Decatur, Illinois, the Farm Progress Show not only has boots to exhibit new farm technologies, but this agricultural trade show takes farmers into the field to see new equipment harvesting the crops and tilling the ground. Ohio State University hosts the Farm Science Review annually. This series of agricultural events features field demonstrations as well.

Participate in agricultural conventions that feature livestock

State fairs are also a good way to demonstrate any products that you have that relate to livestock. There are also species specific events held to promote that sector of the ag industry.

I recommend: The World Dairy Expo is one of many agricultural trade shows that showcase the dairy industry. Held in Madison, Wisconsin, the World Dairy Expo offers an agricultural conference setting to show off the diary industry to the public, and provide agricultural event training for farmers in the dairy industry. The World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa does the same thing for the pork industry. This agricultural convention presents new ideas to pork producers, and shows the public ways to use pork products.

If you work in agribusiness, you should know agricultural events key terms. At some point in your career you may be a participant in an agricultural convention or display. If you are familiar with these basic terms, you should be able to make sure you get the most value for your conference fees and time. Even if you just attend an agricultural event, knowledge of these terms might make it a more meaningful experience.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Agricultural events aggregator

An agricultural events aggregator tool allows you to quickly find agricultural events to attend. It publishes new listings and gives you the option to filter specific trade show events. You just add the aggregator URL to your feed reader and it acts much like an RSS feed. You get updated information every time a new event becomes part of the aggregator listing.

I recommend: Use AgriFeeds to see how an agricultural events aggregator works.

Trade-specific event

A trade-specific agricultural event focuses on just one particular segment of the agricultural community. For example, you might want to attend a trade specific event for diary producers if you have a product that features cheese.

I recommend: The World Dairy Expo held annually in Madison, Wisconsin is a prime example of a trade specific event.

Trade association event

An agricultural trade association event is one held by a farm organization. You are likely to find exhibits with a common theme at this type conference. Trade association events may be general, in nature or they may focus on a specific segment of agriculture.

I recommend: The American Farm Bureau convention is an example of a trade association event for agriculture.

Field demonstration

In a field demonstration, or demo situation, the farm equipment operates in a side-by-side comparison. Typically each company represented at the field demonstration harvests or plants a small plot of land on the demonstration field. Rival companies harvest or plant their plots at the same time.

I recommend: The Farm Progress Show is an annual field demonstration event.

Farm equipment showcase

A farm equipment showcase event highlights only farm equipment. The show may or may not include an outdoor event with field demonstrations. A farm equipment showcase event may be inside allowing visitors to inspect the machinery and visit with agri-business entrepreneurs.

I recommend: The National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky is an example of an indoor farm equipment showcase.

Livestock exhibit

In a livestock exhibit, the owner or exhibitor shows an animal with desirable genetic traits. Judges compare this animal with other animals in the same class. The animal with the best characteristics wins. Each exhibitor must meet a set of animal welfare guidelines.

I recommend: The Minnesota Board of Animal Health sets rules for livestock exhibits in the state. These rules are pretty typical for all 50 states.