Wisconsin's largest outdoor agricultural show has hit middle age, but it proves capable of staying fresh. When the 43rd annual Farm Progress Days begins Tuesday in Marathon County, a ginseng exhibit, a display dedicated to modern dairying, guided wagon tours and tractor test-drives will be among the new events adding variety to the show's traditional farm pageantry.
The show, one of the biggest of its kind in the Midwest, will draw more than 600 exhibitors and 100,000 people interested in seeing the hot trends in American agriculture, from equipment to seeds to the latest in barn-building.
Since Wisconsin's agribusiness sector increasingly is courting a world market, organizers chose as the theme for this year's event, "Producing for the World." State farm exports are valued at around $1.5 billion annually.
Marathon Countyis key to that business, said Mike Wildeck, Marathon County extension dairy agent. County dairy farmers are known all over the world for their contribution to dairy genetics and the sale of live cows, semen and embryos for the artificial insemination industry, he said.
The hosts of this year's Farm Progress Days are dairy farmers Verlyn and Jane Ross and members of their family, who together operate Ross-Hart Farms. Situated on nearly 2,000 acres located 15 miles west of Wausau, the farm milks 425 Holsteins and raises 1,100 acres of alfalfa and corn to feed their cows.
What makes the farm unusual is that it also raises ginseng , a medicinal root that has been cultivated in Marathon County since 1904.
Today, Wisconsin ginseng sales reap more than $50 million with growers harvesting 2 million pounds of the crop last year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Ninety percent of that production takes place in Marathon County, said Ken Sipple, chairman of the Marathon County executive committee.
Grown under pole sheds, the ginseng is a real curiosity for people unfamiliar with tthe crrop, Sipple said.
"With the county producing 90 percent of the state's ginseng and with 90 percent of that being exported, a lot of people are interested in what it is under those tents they see around here," he said.
The tent at Farm Progress Days dedicated to ginseng will highlight the crop's history, show how the root is produced and offer samples of ginseng products including tea and soda.
"People will have a lot better understanding of what this crop is about," Sipple said.
Of course dairying also will be a major focus of this year's Farm Progress Days. Wisconsin's 27,000 dairy farmers produce more than 15 percent of the country's milk each year and 30 percent of its cheese.
Producer milk prices are approaching an all-time high as a result of a very tight supply and demand situation, giving farmers a welcome boost in their monthly milk checks.
The Ross-Hart farm recently installed an ultra-modern milking facility that can handle 24 cows at a time and features an office, an employee break room, wash rooms and a veterinary room.
Visitors will be able to see the state-of-the-art computer system that registers specific information on the amount, quality and speed of milk given by each cow. The data helps farmers easily calculate the health, efficiency and productivity of each cow and make adjustments to their herd to improve performance.
Sipple, of the Marathon County executive committee, said a new event at the show this year called "Dairying in the 21st Century" will provide information for farmers on the issues they will face in the coming decades.
Private industry and the University of Wisconsin worked together to create the exhibit, which will cover topics from financial management to the technical aspects of computing, Sipple said.
Another new twist at the show this year will improve the quality of the show's traditional field demonstrations, said Bob Dinkel, an organizer of the demonstrations. Visitors can take parrt in guided wagon tours of the plots to get explanations of the technology being used.
Farm Progress Days will also include:
* A new ride and drive demonstration where farmers can test-drive new model tractors.
* A corn field that uses municipal waste as a fertilizer.
* Plots planted with genetically engineered corn and soybeans.
* Free testing of well water samples for nitrates.
Dinkel said that non-farmers with negative perceptions about agriculture can also benefit from a visit to Farm Progress Days.
"It's a good opportunity for people who have had a bad mystique about farming to see how it has changed."
If you go:
Dates: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Place: Ross-Hart farm on Highway 29 in Marathon County 15 miles west of Wausau.
Admission: Free
Parking: $2
For information, call: (715) 443-3490
Internet home page: http://www.emarkets.com/Farm Progress Days
- BY : Jennifer A. Galloway - Agriculture reporter
- SOURCE : Wisconsin State Journal1996.07.14
|
Newsdesk