|
It has become the world’s largest annual agricultural exposition and will celebrate its 44th anniversary on Feb. 8-10. The World Ag Expo at Tulare, Calif., is like no other ag event in the world because of its size, exhibitors and number of visitors it attracts from across the country and throughout the world.
This year’s event will feature 1,600 exhibitors displaying the latest in farm equipment, chemicals, communications and technology on 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space.
Free seminars will be offered on a variety of topics important to dairy producers, farmers, ranchers and agribusiness professionals. Also, the popular cooking demonstrations by chefs from California’s top restaurants are scheduled for the World Ag Women Pavilion.
The cost of admission is $12, and the hours for the show will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 8-9 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10.
Convenient Location
The show will be conducted at the International Agri-Center, 4450 South Laspina St., in Tulare – about 45 miles south of Fresno and 60 miles north of Bakersfield just off Highway 99. Airfields are located in Tulare, Visalia, Fresno and Bakersfield.
From a historical perspective, Tulare’s location in the center of California and the heart of the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley has proven accessible and attractive to farm equipment manufacturers for several decades.
Beginning in 1968 when the show began, exhibitors found an event in a central location where they could display their agriculture services and equipment to an interested audience of farmers.
Originally named “Tulare’s Field and Row Crop Equipment Show,” it quickly outgrew its name and became the “California Farm Equipment Show” for the second show in 1969. In 1972, the first foreign manufacturers began moving in to display their products, leading the necessity of another name change, “California Farm Equipment Show and International Exposition,” and finally the current name, “World Ag Expo.”
Important Improvements
Through the years, the show has continued to invest in improving the grounds where the event is staged. For example, the Dairy Center was completed for the first-time use during the 1991 show, built in response to the growing need for more space for the popular demand of dairy industry displays.
Opening day of this year’s show will feature a fundraiser concert featuring CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Blake Shelton.
Shelton will perform on Tuesday, Feb. 8, inside the new Entertainment Pavilion at World Ag Expo. Tickets are $40, $60 and $80 each.
For additional show information and program schedules, interested parties can go to www.worldagexpo.net.
World Ag Expo’s Communications Office contributed to this article. |
.jpg)