Even At 47, The National Farm Machinery Show Has A Youthful Vibe
February 17, 2012 Talk with anyone associated with agriculture in 2012 and chances are one of the major issues that keeps them awake at night is succession planning. According to most national surveys I’ve seen, the average age of growers in the U.S. is in the mid-fifties. For ag retailers, this figure is similar. Furthermore, many of folks in these two groups say they are concerned that as the industry’s older population retires or moves on, imparting useful knowledge to younger generations will be increasingly hard to do.
For those ag entities and individuals that have or are struggling with this topic, look to the annual National Farm Machinery Show for some guidance. This Louisville, KY, event – now in its 47th year – is something of an institution in the area and annually draws somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 visitors over its four days. In addition, virtually every company that does business in agriculture brings their products to be reviewed and (hopefully) sold.
But what is really striking about the show is just how many young people are present. In many of the large equipment booths, young boys and girls will be climbing into sprayer cabs to provide parent photo opportunities or playing peak-a-boo in some truck beds. Babies will be wearing John Deere or Case jumpers.
And then there are the teen-agers. At any given time, there will be seemingly hundreds of them floating between the various wings of the Kentucky Exposition Center, horse-playing with yardsticks or other giveaway items from exhibitors. Many are seen wearing Future Farmers of America t-shirts. What’s really impressive, however, is how much attention these future growers pay at the various ag company booths. Most let their elders do the talking initially. But they are the ones that ask tough questions about such current topics are “long-range connectivity” or “the environmental footprint” of a given agricultural product. This kind of curiosity is refreshing to see in action.
So while many of the people I’ve talked with recently may be worried about the long-term prospects for agriculture in America and how knowledge will be passed down to the next generation, I’m not as concerned. I’ve seen this industry’s future at the National Farm Machinery Show. And based upon this, I’d say agriculture is in good hands going forward.
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