Farm Progress Show 2000

A day with the family

[SEPT. 29, 2000]  Robert Klemm is a farmer in the Waynesville area and owner of Klemm's Tax Service.  He recorded his thoughts on the 2000 Farm Progress Show to share with LDN readers.

Reader review

By Robert Klemm

On Wednesday our family got up early for their every-three-year trip to the Farm Progress Show. Yes, that is right, I said family because we took this opportunity to all be together for the day — my wife Patty, two sons John (17), Aaron (7) — and daughter Olivia (20), however, is away at college.

We arrived early to avoid the traffic and therefore we were in the second row of parking. After having attended several of the shows through the years, I am still trying to decide if the show isn’t what it use to be or if it was just my attitude and expectation for the day. I just wasn’t as impressed as I have been in past even though I still did enjoy the exhibits a good deal.

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I did have the opportunity to visit with several company representatives on specific products that I had technical questions that salesmen may not have been able to answer nearly as well.

We also as always were able to view, and I was able to explain to the boys, some of the equipment that we do not use in our farming operation. We were all able to see it firsthand. The best example of this is the newer tile plows to be pulled with farm tractors. For these we were even able to go out in the field and hear real-life experience from other farmers as the companies explained their product and we actually saw them being used.

Three years from now, when the show is back in Illinois, we will go as a family again and see what is newest in farming.

[Robert Klemm]

At muddy Cantrall site
Agribusinesses display
the latest products

[SEPT. 28, 2000]  Visitors to the opening day of the Farm Progress Show in Cantrall experienced a long, frustrating wait before catching a glimpse of the show site.

Cancellation of the show’s first day forced heavy traffic onto two-lane roads not designed for heavy traffic. The Williamsville exit was closed shortly after 7 a.m., and most Logan County attendees were routed to the Farm Progress Show via Sherman. "The later you left home, the longer you waited in traffic," expressed Logan County attendee Al Wolf. Wolf finally made it to the show by 10:30. Riders on the Graue, Inc. bus left Lincoln at 8 a.m. and did not arrive at the front gates until around 11:30 a.m.

[Lincoln Ag Center manager Al Wolf and Lois and Tom Grohmann from Hartsburg dodged the mudholes to enjoy the day at the Farm Progress Show.]

Guests who successfully tackled the traffic gridlock were greeted by a city of shiny new equipment and very muddy streets. Walking through the site was much less treacherous by midday, thanks to warm sunshine and the pounding of feet.

[Muddy ruts forced Farm Progress Show guests
to watch their step.]

Visitors came to the muddy field in rural Cantrall from all over the world. Voices from Argentina, Brazil, Germany and France could be heard around the site. Some were large farmers, while others were corporate officials from one of the show’s sponsors. Joining them were farmers from across the Midwest who traveled to preview the newest ag technology on the market.

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Corporate sponsors displayed their products in grand style. Many erected huge tents and air-inflated characters that towered over the site, while others featured live bands to draw visitors into their tent. Every exhibitor had a gimmick with their advertising message. A big price tag was paid by these companies to play a role in Farm Progress Show 2000.

[Some ag companies creatively took advantage of the traffic delays by flying their messages overhead.]

New exhibitors at the Farm Progress Show this year included a number of agricultural websites and Internet services. According to Tamara White of the Illinois Farm Bureau, 30 to 35 percent of America’s two million farmers are online. Agribusinesses are rushing to capitalize on this trend by creating new websites that allow computer-savvy farmers to purchase inputs such as chemicals and equipment and sell their outputs, such as grain and livestock.

Many of these new companies, like Rooster.com, which was launched on May 1 of this year, had small buses filled with laptop computers as part of their exhibit. They invited farmers aboard to check out their website and subscribe. Created by agribusiness giants Cargill, DuPont and Cenex Harvest States, Rooster.com makes money by creating websites for local agribusinesses and linking them to pages individually designed for farmer-subscribers.

The exhibitor list for the 2001 Farm Progress Show will continue to change. Nonstop mergers and consolidations in the ag industry will not only affect the presence of traditional equipment and chemical and seed manufacturers, but it will also determine which of the new ag e-commerce will survive. White noted that there were already two sites that were facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Many others will likely merge.

[This pressed penny was an inexpensive memento of the Farm Progress Show.]

[Marty Ahrends]

Former President Bush visits
Farm Progress Show 2000

[SEPT. 28, 2000]  Playing to the cheers of almost 2,000 Farm Progress Show visitors crowded in the Family Living Tent, a casually dressed former President George Bush reinforced his son’s commitment to agriculture.

"What could be better for Illinois than more corn going into ethanol," roared the elder Bush in reference to his son’s promise to promote ethanol as a renewable energy source.

Bush also emphasized that if elected president, George W. Bush would support death tax relief, private property rights, and would pursue fast-track authority for resolving trade issues.

In reference to the environmental policies of the Clinton/Gore administration, Bush said, "I am an environmentalist, my son is an environmentalist, but we need to take on the environmental extremists and open up the Alaskan pipeline to reduce dependence on foreign oil and lower energy prices."

After speaking for a few minutes on agricultural issues, Bush turned his focus to something he says he is more familiar speaking about — moral issues. "I worry about the moral fiber of our country. What happens in the Oval Office sets an example of what happens in our homes."

Before leaving the stage and signing some autographs, Bush defended the attacks that his son is merely trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. "He’s my son and I am proud of him. He’s Barbara’s son and she is proud of him. And if people don’t understand that, there’s something wrong with them."

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Throughout his speech, Bush was flanked on the tiny stage by a group of agricultural "experts." Among them were Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Susan Combs, Illinois Director of Agriculture Joe Hampton, U.S. Rep. Tom Ewing and Middletown farmer Bill Graff.

Graff, a founding member of the group "Illinois Farmers for Bush," makes no bones about his choice for the next president. "George W. Bush knows what it is like to run a business," says Graff of Bush’s experience in managing several companies and making payroll. "I don’t think that Al Gore has ever lived in the real world."

[Former President Bush greets
Middletown farmer Bill Graff.]

The Illinois Farmers for Bush got their start in political campaigns during Al Salvi’s run for the office of governor. Their success in organizing farm events was recognized by Gov. Ryan, Sen. Fitzgerald and others, who asked them to lead the statewide effort among farmers to elect George W. Bush. Graff says the next campaign effort will involve disking "Bush 2000" into the ground under flight paths and near the interstates.

[Judi Graff of Middletown and Logan County Farm Bureau Director Jim Drew were part of the group that organized the Bush rally.]

[Marty Ahrends]

Exhibitors move in at the Farm Progress Show

John Fulton, unit leader of the University of Illinois Extension in Logan County, provided these pictures from the Tuesday move-in at the Farm Progress Show, rural Cantrall. Scenes include exhibitor trucks being pulled in by tractor.

Rain delays opening of Farm Progress Show

[SEPT. 26, 2000]  The opening of the Farm Progress Show will be delayed due to rain. The show will now begin Wednesday, Sept. 27, and end on Thursday, Sept. 28. There are still a few free seats on the Graue Inc. coach. On Wednesday, the bus will leave Graue Inc. at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and it will return to Graue at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Graue coach service only runs Wednesday. If you want to reserve a seat or have questions, please call 735-4444 and ask to speak with Chris or Karen.

Also on Wednesday only, former President George Bush will be campaigning for his son, George W. Bush.

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