The National Farm Machinery Show Turns 50
February 17, 2015 
For the whole of the agricultural community, the middle of February represents a special time. For the past half-century, more than 300,000 growers, ag retailers, equipment/crop input suppliers and curious onlookers have made the annual pilgrimage to Louisville, KY, to attend the National Farm Machinery Show. Featuring more than 850 exhibitors spread out over virtually every inch of the 1.2 million square foot Kentucky Exposition Center, the show has become something of a bell weather event for the nation’s ag-oriented companies.
“Basically, if your business is agriculture, you are probably in Louisville at this event, either as an attendee or an exhibitor,” said Kentucky State Fair Board President/CEO Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe at the official ribbon-cutting opening the 50th show.
And while grower targeted equipment tends to dominate the landscape at the National Farm Machinery Show, there is still usually plenty for ag retailers to see as well. Here are a few observations for that crowd.
Self-propelled sprayers were plentiful, with models from all the major manufacturers such as Case IH, AGCO and John Deere. Of course, in terms of new sprayers, there were two that stood out – one very large and one very small.
At the Hagie Manufacturing booth, attendees could see the company’s latest model. Dubbed The Black Widow, this unit was decked out in black and red paint with a 1,600-gallon product tank. Even more impressive, the Black Widow features a 132-foot boom.
Loading ...On the flipside of this, visitors looking for a smaller sprayer could check out the new Mako from GVM. Featuring a 400-gallon product tank, the Mako is the company’s attempt to fill the void in the small sprayer market left when AGCO discontinued the Spra-Coupe line, says GVM Owner Mark Anderson.
In terms of high-tech items, there were plenty of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to be seen. Of the estimated 90 companies currently gearing up for entry into the agricultural marketplace, many were present at the National Farm Machinery Show.
And there was lots more interesting stuff as well. Look for more coverage of these items in upcoming issues of CropLife and CropLife IRON magazines.
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