In Early 2021, Some Agricultural Shows Aren’t Going On
October 21, 2020 Although the calendar still says October, those of us in the magazine world are right now putting the finishing touches on our end-of-year editions, while looking ahead to the new year. And for our publication CropLife IRON, part of this wrapping up the current year process involves preparing a calendar for readers to use during the upcoming year. The 2021 CropLife IRON Calendar will include all the key holidays and dates for next year within its pages, along with information on major trade shows and industry conferences.
But like so much else here in 2020, the 2021 calendar will be a bit different than in years past. This is because many of the in-person events agricultural representatives are used to attending will now have the word “virtual” next to their listing – similar to what happened with almost every in-person event scheduled in 2020 between March and the end of the year.
Of course, the reason for this change is clearly known at this point – the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For safety’s sake, many in-person event organizers have decided to err on the side of caution. To date, both the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA, in mid-February and the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association (IFCA) Annual Meeting in Peoria, IL, in late January have decided to go this route in 2021.
“Our annual trade show has always been a well-attended, positive networking and educational experience for the members of the IFCA, and we are sad that we cannot proceed with planning and holding this important event,” said IFCA President Jean Payne. “The reality is that large gatherings are still not permissible or advisable, and above all else, we respect the need to continue to protect the health of the essential workers in the ag input supply and service industry.” Instead, added Payne, IFCA is planning to hold its annual meeting virtually, “for probably 60 to 90 minutes.”
For now, many other large early 2021 gatherings such as the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, KY, and the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, TX (in February and March, respectively) are still being planned as in-person events. However, many industry experts don’t expect in-person events to return in earnest until mid-2021, after the nation has a working COVID-19 vaccine available to the public.
Loading ...In the meantime, our plans for a comprehensive 2021 CropLife IRON Calendar will go on. But users should probably keep a red marker nearby to make last-minute changes to some entries, just in case!
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