Perfect weather and a much improved dairy economy helped encourage attendance at World Ag Expo in 2011. Many local vendors and long-standing exhibitors said it had been over a decade since they remember having three straight days of sunny, warm weather for the annual show held the second week of February in Tulare, California.
Weather was sunny and in the upper 60s. Even the Central Valley’s frequent winter morning fog was absent.
Scroll down or to view a slideshow of photos from the 2011 World Ag Expo.
"On Wednesday, our parking lots were totally full. That’s our gauge to determine how busy we are," Steven Knudsen says. "We are really excited with this year’s attendance."
Going digital
Knudsen says this was the first year the show has used digital scanners with registration badges at entrances. They should help create a more accurate count of total attendance, which will be available in the coming weeks.
In the past, attendance has been counted by volunteers with handheld clickers at gate entrances. Knudsen says usually about 100,000 visitors come to the show.
"We will have a much more accurate depiction of how many people are there each day and how many people are walking in from all the different entry points," Knudsen says.
This was the first year the show provided a smartphone application for iPhone and Android platform users. The application had more than 1,000 downloads.
"We brought on our app as an opportunity for people who prefer to use their smartphone as a navigational device,” Knudsen says. “You’ll see advancements in that app in the next few years."
One additional feature Knudsen hopes will be added is GPS navigation for the show grounds.
More than 800 visitors scouted the digital show grounds prior to the event on the show’s website and created an agenda for their visit. These attendees planned to see 25 to 30 companies.
New flooring
In October, a new 76,000-square-foot concrete floor was poured in the Farm Credit Dairy Center, replacing the previous dirt pack floor. Knudsen says while the flooring has its benefits for dairy producer visitors and vendors during the show, the upgrade was intended to make the building more versatile throughout the year for hosting a variety of events.
More than 1,500 yards of concrete were used to create the floor, which is enough gravel and cement to create a three-foot-wide sidewalk that is four inches deep and about 4,500 feet long, or the length of 15 football fields.
New technology and iPad apps
This year’s show saw the emergence of the first dairy-exclusive iPad and iPhone apps. Virtus Nutrition, Lauren AgriSystems and DeLaval all displayed their own mobile applications. (For a complete review of other new technologies debuting at the show, click here.)
New producer group officially kicks off
The National Dairy Producers Organization held its first annual meeting under its own tent at World Ag Expo. The interior of the tent was lined with flags from each U.S. state.
The group formed early last fall and has been soliciting membership. Current membership is under 5,000, with members in about 35 states.
Each of the three days during the show, the 13-member board introduced themselves and discussed their organization’s new Contract with Producers with other dairy producer visitors and members of the media.
Chairman Bill Rowell moderated a question-and-answer session each day. A frequently asked question was whether the group would support National Milk Producer Federation’s Foundation for the Future.
Treasurer Gary Genske said in response: "We hope that National Milk Producer Federation’s legislation will incorporate our concerns as outlined in our Contract with Producers, but if not we are prepared to introduce our own legislation to educate politicians and legislators." PD
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PHOTO SLIDESHOW
Photos by PD Editor Dario Martinez.
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