LARGEST - Agricultural Exhibition in the World - Tulare, CA
N 36° 09.898 W 119° 19.706
11S E 290564 N 4004758
The Agri-Center in Tulare, CA is home to the Worlds Largest Agricultural Exhibition.
Waymark Code: WM3HQB
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/08/2008
Views: 116
Years ago, when I came to these parts, it was called the Farm Equipment Show and was held in the Tulare County Fairgrounds in downtown. As the show grew (more and more and bigger and bigger exhibitors), a local family (the Faria's) donated some land south and east of town for a newer, bigger, improved Farm Equipment Show, now referred to as the World Ag Expo. I've walked around and kicked the dirt more than once in that old venue!
The Farm Equipment Show (excuse me for digressing) is held annually during the second week of February. There are now some permanent structures, but the weeks before the show you can see humungous tents being erected to house some of the exhibits. Funny, because it usually is pretty windy here in February and many a year they have seen some of their temporary 'exhibit halls' literally blow down!
There is every imaginable type, size, brand of tractor and other farm implement there. Plus, there's great food booths - manned by local organizations - where you can find very yummy options during the day. Classes are conducted by vendors and locals that cater to women and men alike. You can even take a helicopter ride over the site and surroundings, watch the grain waving in the wind and some of that farm equipment in action (although I think the local farmers take the week off from work to 'smooze' with neighbors and vendors at the show!)
And now, from the website, the 'real story':
The Farm Show began in 1968, and was held at the Tulare County Fairgrounds in Tulare, California. When the 3-day run of the first show was complete, this new show proved to be successful, especially after exhibitors were lining up to sign contracts for the second show in 1969 before the first one had even ended. The first show attracted 157 exhibitors with 28,000 attendees. By the second year, the show doubled in both attendees and exhibitors, and continued the rapid growth throughout the future years.
Tulare’s location in the center of the state
and the heart of the agriculturally-rich San Joaquin Valley proved accessible
and attractive to farm equipment manufacturers and dealers from around the
world. The exhibitors found an organized show in a central location where they
could display their agriculture products, services, and equipment to an
interested audience of farmers, also known as serious, potential buyers. The
attendees found a place where they could view the latest technology, and
agricultural equipment and services in one location.
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,” was adopted in
2001.