News

Ag Director: Show focuses on technology and innovation

Missouri’s Director of Agriculture kicked off the Western Farm show by comparing the equipment of his youth to the innovations on display at the three day exposition.

Richard Fordyce, whose own farm is at Bethany, Missouri, recalled during a speech on the opening day of the Western Farm Show the first time he was allowed to plant corn by training his eye on a distant point in the field and guiding a John Deere 3020 as directly as he could to that point.  Gazing at the rows of new farm equipment displayed at the American Royal complex, Fordyce told Brownfield Ag News that farmers can learn a lot at the Western Farm Show.

“What’s the new innovation, what are the things that will allow our producers to do more with less,” said Fordyce, “to do a better job than they did last year with some of these new innovations?”

The Western Farm Show also features truck and tractor pulls as well as demonstrations, including low-stress livestock handling.  It’s taking place through Sunday at the American Royal Complex near Kemper Arena.

AUDIO: Richard Fordyce (5 min. MP3)