D & G Equipment representative Rick Krueger instructs Webberville, Mich., resident Howard Sanderlin on how to operate a small tractor, during the Ag Expo on July 17, 2013, at the Agriculture Exposition Site, 3498 Mount Hope Road. Attendees were able to test drive different tractors and trucks from different companies. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
An estimated 18,000 to 20,000 farmers and agriculture enthusiasts attended MSU’s campus for the 34th annual Ag Expo that ran from July 16-18.
“An event like this takes us back to our roots and helps us engage with a group of people who are important to us,” Eileen Gianiodis, communications manager with MSU Extension, said.
“We have everybody from seasoned farmers with their families to people who live in the city and suburbs. We hope visitors learn something new about agriculture and the industry surrounding it in Michigan.”
Attendees learned about different agricultural equipment, techniques and theories from 100 education sessions and demonstrations and 250 vendors.
The event centered around E. Mount Hope Road and Farm Lane and sprawled across campus, taking place among the horse barns, research facilities and farms and granting exposure to MSU’s agricultural campus, Gianiodis said.
“We want the next generation of agriculture professionals to come to MSU and to go through our college,” she added.
Albion, Mich., resident Larry Taber attends the Ag Expo every year and others like it around the country.
“We like to look at the updates to the farm equipment,” Taber said. “We call it the latest and greatest. I used to come when it was Farmer’s Week in March outside the Spartan Stadium.”
The oldest known MSU grad, 106-year-old Howard Bryant, attended the Ag Expo and checked out the new advances in farming technology. Bryant said he grew up farming when horses were the mainstay.
“The farming part of our society has been improving gradually because of the efforts of the soils and the sciences and the kinds of things they grow on the farm,” Bryant said.
Riverdale, Mich., resident Dave Marcy said he looks forward to the expo every year.
“I just enjoy everything about the expo — looking at the booths and displays and seeing how things are rapidly changing,” Marcy said. “There are exhibitors from all over the state and out of it, too. It’s a good way to get updated information. There’s a lot of information available here.”
Marcy graduated from MSU in ’69. He enrolled in ’57, got drafted, worked at Fisher Body, got married, had a child and then went back and graduated.
“If the students want to come and take a look around, there’s a lot to appreciate,” he said. “There are plenty of job opportunities. Farming is only a minor part of it. There’s a lot of other things involved.”
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