By Greg Grisolano
news@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — The big top, brightly painted tents and flags may conjure visions of the circus, but the organizer of the Four-State Farm Show says farmers and farming enthusiasts will find more than entertainment at the event.
“It’s like a classroom,” said Ted Gum, publisher of Parsons-based Farm Talk, a weekly agricultural newspaper that sponsors the event. “It’s a trade show for agriculture.”
Gum said he expects more than 25,000 people to attend this year’s show, located south of Pittsburg, half of a mile east of the junction of Highways 400, 69 and 171. More than 700 booths and vendors will be on hand to sell and demonstrate commercial and residential farming equipment, lawn mowers and livestock implements. Tools, golf carts and all-terrain vehicles will also be on display.
“We squeezed a few more booths in,” he said. “But we’re pretty much maxed out on this site.”
Parking and admission are free. Show hours will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday.
In addition to perennial favorites such as the haymaking demonstration, lawn-mower and tractor-obstacle courses, Gum said visitors this year will be able to get their hands on a vertical mixer.
“For the non-farm people, it’s like a woman with a big mixing bowl, and a blender in the bottom,” he said. “Last year, with the dry weather, we had a hay shortage. These different tools help save hay for the winter.”
Craig Hull, director of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he estimates the economic impact from the show to generate about $1 million for the region.
“It’s not just Pittsburg that benefits,” he said. “You’re talking about 700 vendors. They fill up all our hotels (in Pittsburg). Then the visitors fill up hotels in Fort Scott, Parsons and Joplin.”
While forecasts predict a chance of showers and thunderstorms this weekend, Hull said he’s hopeful that wet weather won’t dampen festivities.
“Hopefully, we’ll get just enough rain that it settles the dust and cools things off for us,” he said.
Even if showers are heavy, Gum said the show is prepared to go on.
“We’ll just keep doing it,” he said. “Most vendors have some kind of tent they can get under, or a pickup truck they can crawl into.”
Although the wet weather hindered the planting, farmers can also inspect Kansas State University’s Roundup Ready Soybean Variety Performance Plots and a Short Season Corn Hybrid Plot. K-State personnel will also be on hand to answer questions.
“The soybeans aren’t going to be very big yet, but that corn’s looking good,” Gum said.
The annual event has been a staple of the region’s agricultural community for more than 30 years, and Gum attributes the enduring success of the show to “knowing your niche.”
“People always say, ‘you need to bring in a country singer’, or ‘you need to do this or do that,’” he said. “We’re having a farm show. If you stay focused on your goal, it’s gonna prove whether it’s working. It’s obviously working here, because we’ve sold out of booth space, and this is our 33rd year doing this.”
Free ice water
Craig Hull, director of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said parking and admission to the event are free. His office is once again providing free ice water and chairs.
