ORLANDO, Florida – Ag Connect Expo, North America’s newest farm show, attracted attendees from 62 countries, 50 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces.
Booths of agricultural equipment from nearly every continent included manufacturers bringing their latest innovations, many of which are years from reaching the market.
“About 20 percent of attendees were from outside of the US,” said Sarah Mooney of Ag Connect.
The organizers said 2,000 of the 7,000 people registered for the show were farmers, 1,800 were other agriculture business people and 800 were equipment dealers.
The remainder were involved with showing at the event.
Charlie O’Brian of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers said manufacturers had long identified the need for a professional farming show, “a show that is similar in nature to Agritechnica in Germany.
“We wanted a show that would take place in a warm destination, a potential holiday spot that was timed to take advantage of a time when farmers are not in the middle of their production cycle,” he said.
Martin Richenhagen of Agco chaired the AEM board in 2008.
He said while North America has some of the most progressive farmers on the planet and many of the leading manufacturers, large farm equipment events are located in Germany and France.
AEM decided to change that and model a show after Germany’s Agritechnica.
Canadian manufacturers said there were fewer farmers attending than they had hoped for, there were other business opportunities for manufacturers, dealers and component makers.
Adam Reid of Versatile said it will likely take time to catch on.
“The farmers that are here operate significant operations and fit into most exhibitors’ target demographics,” he said.
Organizers said the average producer attending the event farmed 2,900 acres.
