FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Julie Davis Good has visited the Fort Wayne Farm Show over the years, but she’ll be viewing this year’s event in a different light. Good was named director of the Allen County, Ind., Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) last year.

The show is Jan. 14-16 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. This year is the show’s 36th anniversary.

“I have attended the Fort Wayne Farm Show previously because I grew up here, and – most recently – because agriculture was one of the foundational principles that formed the Molecular Environmental Biology major at Indiana Tech, where I was the program creator,” Good said. “I love the farm show for its wide diversity of information, products, approaches and people. Truly, the farm show has something for everyone.

“While the main Expo Center (upstairs) boasts massive equipment and innovative solutions, my favorite part is the (educational) programming in the Appleseed rooms. I am thrilled and fulfilled as I hear the latest information – often before it can make it to a farm near me – and as I sit and visit with growers of all types.”

The Northeast Indiana SWCDs provide the educational seminars, along with Purdue University Extension.

Last year’s farm show attracted nearly 26,000 visitors, said Dan Slowinski, a show director with Tradexpos, Inc., which produces the show. Organizers hope for more than 27,000 attendees this year.

He said visitors can expect to see a little bit of everything at the show.

“You will see three rooms packed with companies in the ag industry,” Slowinski noted. “We have lots of equipment such as tractors, sprayers, tankers, augers, skid steers, forklifts, seed tenders, side by sides and more. If you have livestock, we have hog slats, dairy milkers, livestock paneling, feeders and waterers.

“They will also see new technologies, and the sciences that are constantly evolving. Every aspect of the ag industry is represented at this show. From planting your seed, fertilizing, harvest, transportation, market analysis, planning for next season and even farm succession to the next generation.”

The show will have 406 exhibitors in 1,100 booths, he said. The show sold out the first week of August. Fifty two companies will be first-time exhibitors. The vendors will come from 20 states and Canada.

Two grand prizes will be offered this year, a first for the show. Plevna Implement Co. is donating a snowblower and a zero-turn riding lawn mower.

Live auctions to support the National FFA Organization will be on the 14th and 15th at 1 p.m. Last year, FFA raised over $21,000, Slowinski said. Proceeds will benefit the FFA scholarship program.

The farm show is a Midwestern phenomenon, Good said.

“Featuring massive equipment, seed companies, soil testing laboratories, and every possible repair or installation need, truly there is something for everyone at every age,” she explained. “From the small urban farm to the Indiana Heritage Farm, from the fruit and vegetable producer to the mega acreage high production farm, farm show 2025 brings an amazing wealth of information, products, experts, knowledge, and opportunities.”

Good said the county, state and federal area will move to the Expo Center, at the door three alcove, for this year’s show. Producers are welcome to stop by if they have Farm Service Agency programs or if they need advice from such entities as the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The first Fort Wayne Farm Show was in 1990. Jack Thill, then owner of Tradexpos, created the show after visiting the city in the 1980s. He later said the event’s primary goal was to draw as many people as possible into an agricultural event.

“(Visitors) can come see anything from big equipment to portable chicken coops, custom drone spraying, new tools, new government programs and everything in between,” Slowinski said. “I promise you will see something new. Even if you come to the show every year, you will find something new this year.

“You should come make a day of it. It never ceases to amaze me the relationships that are forged among our exhibitors, and with the exhibitors and the attendees, during this show.”

The show is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 14, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Jan. 15, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 16. The event is free, but there is a fee to park in Coliseum lots. 

Tradexpos, based in Austin, Minn., also produces a farm show in Topeka, Kan., and the North American Farm & Power Show in Owatonna, Minn. For more information on the Fort Wayne show, visit tradexpos.com and click on Fort Wayne Farm Show.