Farm show sold out in Owatonna
The North American Farm Show returns for its 23rd year to Owatonna next week. The popular agriculture show will take place March 20-22 at the Four Seasons Centre.
Interest from vendors in the North America Farm Show is at an all-time high as the show prepares to kick off its 23rd year in Owatonna March 20-22.
The show has been sold out since before Christmas, said Dan Slowinski, manager of the show with Austin-based Tradexpos. There will be 165 exhibitors this year compared to 161 last year. “I don’t have anything available,” he said, noting he has a waiting list of 28 vendors wanting to be at the show.
“I’ve been ready to rock and roll for several weeks,” Slowinski said Monday afternoon. “We’ve never been this far along this early.”
The show runs Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna. Parking and admission are free. Food trucks will be on the grounds throughout the show.
Companies from at least 10 states will be exhibiting the latest cutting-edge technology, products and services for farmers and others.
Last year’s attendance was 12,000 over the third day event, according to Slowinski. He contributes the success of the show to the attendees. “Local farmers keep coming in and supporting this show,” he said. “They keep supporting us and we make sure we have good quality companies at the show.”
In addition to exhibits, the show will feature educational seminars from the University of Minnesota and Linder Farm Network. The workshops will cover timely topics and innovations that matter most to modern farmers, Slowinski said. He expects some of the popular seminars to be cover crops and succession planning.
Slowinski anticipates one of the major topics farmers will want to address this year is the drought conditions. “We’ve had some dry years and another dry winter. It will have an impact on crops,” he said, adding farmers will likely want to explore irrigation options.
Miner’s Outdoor of Blooming Prairie will provide three grand prizes: a Husqvarna leaf blower, chain saw and string trimmer. Dairy drawings will be held 30 minutes before the show closes.
The North America Farm Show is one of three shows produced by Tradexpos. Similar shows are operated in Topeka, Kan. and Fort Wayne, Ind. Both were held in January, and Slowinski said, despite a snowstorm in Kansas, they had record numbers.
While the Owatonna has hosted the farm show for 23 years, it previously had been held in Minneapolis for many years. But Slowinski said Owatonna has proven to be a much better location for them. “We’re right in the middle and heart of agriculture in southern Minnesota,” he says.
“We have three established shows that have stood the test of time,” he said. “We’re still going strong.”
Slowinski said that while they try to keep improving the Owatonna show, there isn’t much to be done. “We don’t want to fix something that isn’t broken,” he said.