Farm Progress Show will kick off the harvest season
Corn looking ideal near Boone
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BOONE -- Before they head out to their own fields, Iowa farmers can check out what is likely to be the first corn harvest of the year when the Farm Progress Show opens in Boone for its three-day run beginning on Sept. 1.
As of the last days of July, the crop at the Central Iowa Expo Grounds just east of Boone was looking beautiful, according to show organizers. Some 350 acres of corn are expected to be harvested during the show.
"Everything looks really good," said Matt Jungmann, national events director for Farm Progress. "We partner with John Deere and they plant all the field demo acres, so they got a really nice window to get the corn in the ground April 20 and 21. Soil conditions were excellent."
While there have been heavy rains, incredible hot spells, and even scattered large hail, the Boone site -- so far -- has been blessed with very favorable growing conditions.
"We've gotten some good rains, and a couple of the really big rains that went through central Iowa didn't hit this part of Boone too hard. It's actually been a good growing season so far.," Jungmann said.
High heat and humidity that sent city-dwellers running for cover, didn't seem to bother the corn.
"The corn is in great shape," Jungmann said. "Obviously, we've gotten enough heat through the summer and the corn is just cranking along. We should be good to go for some great field demonstrations."
The show will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, Sept. 1 - 3. Jungmann invites show-goers to come just a little early for a brief, and always patriotic, opening ceremony featuring the Iowa State University marching band, sponsored by Wyffel Hybrids. With the nation's 250th anniversary this summer, the ceremony that begins each day at 7:30 a.m. promises to be inspiring.
Harvest demonstrations begin at 11 a.m. each day, followed by tillage demonstrations beginning at 2 p.m.
"Those are the big, organized demonstrations, but in addition to that we have a lot of specialty demonstrations," Jungmann said.
As always, there will be Ride and Drive opportunities, enabling farmers to check out some of the newest equipment for themselves.
"There's just a wide variety of new equipment and technology that a Midwest farmer would want to see in action," he added.
He's expecting to see continued interest in autonomy for a number of farm uses.
"That's a fast-evolving system," Jungmann said. "It started out a couple years ago with autonomous grain carts and now autonomy is getting cycled through the equipment lineup. There's all kinds of different types of tools, all the way down to autonomous lawn mowers. It's almost becoming kind of standard."
Agronomy Zone debuts
Traditionally, Farm Progress has excelled at helping farmers compare machinery and similar technology, according to Jungmann. But it has been more difficult to offer input comparisons. That changes this year with the first-ever Agronomy Zone, to be located at the southeast corner of the show grounds.
"We launched the Agronomy Zone for that reason," Jungmann said. "We took about six acres of the show site, inside the fence, worked it up, and set up exhibitors with small plots. We hired a professional agronomist from here in central Iowa to maintain and care for it. It's an opportunity for growers to compare and get a good, in-person look at different input technologies."
The area is already a hit with input providers, ranging from seed to fertility, crop protection, biologicals, and more -- bringing several first-time exhibitors to the show.
"We sold the area out with 14 exhibiting companies; half of those are new to the Farm Progress Show," Jungmann said. "They haven't been with us before, and this is the way they wanted to demonstrate, with a growing crop in the exhibit."
Drone Zone comes to Boone
Since its first show in 1953 at the Earl Bass farm in Armstrong, Farm Progress has always sought to bring whatever is new and likely to benefit farmers to the show. To that end, Farm Progress has been adding new features in the last few years.
Last year in Decatur, Illinois, Farm Progress introduced the Drone Zone to the show. It will make its first appearance in Boone this year.
"There's a lot of farmers looking at drones, either to have the service done for them, or have own of their own," Jungmann said.
A special demonstration area solely for drones and how they can be used on the farm will be located onsite.
"We worked with the FAA to create a safe environment where we will have a tent with clear sides on it so you can stand in the tent with a physical barrier between you and the flying drone, and watch them in action," Jungmann said. "It's a great opportunity to see things as up-close and personal as the FAA will allow."
Even before the show, drones will be seeding cover crops for farmers to inspect as the corn is harvested during the show.
"We're going to be flying drones over some of the field demo acres in August to that the crop has germinated and will be coming up under the field demo corn as it's harvested," Jungmann said.
Once harvested, the cover crop will be easy to see between the rows of corn stubble.
"There's a lot of folks that have been doing this, so it gives people the opportunity to see it for themselves. It's a nice, educational component to the show."