It’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon, your children are on summer break, and you’re not quite sure what to do with them.

You could do what hundreds of area families did Tuesday, and visit the MSU Ag Expo.

The three-day event opened Tuesday at the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education to a large crowd of farm enthusiasts.

Companies advertising farming equipment, buildings and services outline the pavilion, alongside concession stands and information booths.

Brian Larue, the district manager for Walters Buildings in Holt, said the expo is a time for him to work, but he still brings his children.

“They like to wander around and look at the cows. They have a great time,” Larue said.

Cows weren’t the only cattle at the expo that children were drawn to. Farming tools powered by oxen and horses were on display during the event. Hay rides powered by a pair of Clydesdales were frequently available to transport families between the parking lots and the expo.

Chriss Benjamin of Reading, Mich., said this is the second year he has brought his two sons, Nick, 11, and Wesley, 8, to the expo, which runs through Thursday.

“It’s something you don’t have to hog-tie them and drag them to. They just come on their own,” Benjamin said. “It’s not like going to Wal-Mart.”

“I’m working all the time, so it’s a chance to spend the day with them.”

Brenda Benjamin, Chriss Benjamin’s wife, said her family comes to the show so her children can see the new equipment.

“They came home last year all excited because they played a couple games, and won a few prizes,” she said. “They had a really good day.”

The Michigan Farm Bureau’s tent is the spot for games. Tom Nugent, the member services programs manager for the Michigan Farm Bureau, said one of the bureau’s main goals is to make the tent fun for the whole family.

“We knew the farmers were going to bring their kids,” Nugent said. “So we wanted to have something for everyone.”