Last week, 30,000+ farmers, ranchers, ag professionals, government officials, ag researchers and more streamed into a small area south of Redwood Falls to attend Farmfest 2024. The annual event features 500+ vendors and exhibitors who are there for a variety of reasons… from advertising their services, to recruiting new members, to showcasing exciting new research in the area of agriculture.
That final reason is what brought staff and researchers from the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) and the Southern Research and Outreach Center (SROC) to this year’s Farmfest. In their booth, the general theme revolved around new technology in agriculture. SROC brought their demo trailer for liquid plasma technology, while WCROC brought a wide variety of technology they are utilizing in swine, dairy, renewable energy, and more.
Throughout the event, the WCROC and SROC connected with over 700 people. In addition to regular farm community attendees, the booth attracted individuals from government agencies and agricultural associations like the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the MN Farmers Union, MN Farm Bureau, MN Corn Growers, and MN Soybean Growers. Two Minnesota State representatives and MN Commissioners from the Dept of Agriculture and Commerce also visited.
On the third and final day of Farmfest 2024, WCROC and SROC were able to welcome the new 18th president of the University of Minnesota to their booth. President Dr. Rebecca Cunningham stopped by with an entourage that included the Dean and Associate Deans of CFANS, the Dean of Extension, the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Director of Government Relations. The ROCs were also visited by different media groups from places like the Farmer magazine, the Red River Farm Network, and several radio stations throughout Farmfest 2024.
WCROC Director of Operations, Mike Reese, spoke about the staff and faculty members who attended to discuss and demonstrate their work from the ROCs. “Through their dedicated efforts, our faculty and staff demonstrate each day the deep commitment they have to improve the lives of farm families and rural America. Our team had many engaging conversations and we were able to demonstrate how ROC research is profoundly impacting farmers and others across rural America and beyond. With these farmers in mind, we will continue striving to lead innovation in agriculture and beyond."
The ROCs will attend Farmfest 2025, which will be from August 5th to August 7th next summer.
