The 4 StateFarm Show

Welcome back. I recently returned from Pittsburg, Kansas which is the home of Pittsburg State University and was also the home of the Four State Farm Show. Friends, these are the folks who feed us all and I was honored to be invited to be a part of the show. Of course they had all kinds of balers, mowers and rakes but they also had skid steers building and tractors of all kinds and sizes. Metal building contractors were thick and there were several types of generators on display.

The three day show included numerous demonstrations and lots of good food. Although the organizers had me in a booth autographing books, I was able to check out a demonstration of an irrigation system which was quite refreshing in the 108 degree heat.
I soon discovered that this farm show wasn’t just for local farmers. Folks I visited with came from around the country to see the state of the art equipment available for growing food. I’ve also got to say that you would have a hard time finding a friendlier bunch of Americans. Yes, the cattle pens and brush hogs, the roto mixers and the stock trailers are all behind me now in my life but I can’t remember when I’ve spent a more interesting weekend in quite a while.

This was the 44th year for the Farm Show and the vendors and equipment covered twenty-five acres. I’d never heard of the show before and when I got the chance to talk with Lance Markley who is the show coordinator I learned that next year the date of the show will be moved to May 3rd, 4th& 5th to beat the heat. Lance is also the publisher of Farm Talk which is a must read if you farm.
Farm Talk is the main sponsor of the Farm Show and thumbing through it I found more than one thing I needed. Farm Talk isn’t a newspaper, it’s a farmers’ and ranchers’ paper with articles and tips written by experts in these fields. They cover everything from droughts to floods and bugs to fertilizer. If you want to about the grain market or maybe wheat futures, this is your paper. Looking for a seminar on raising cattle or horses? This is where you’ll find one.

Agriculture may not be something the average city dweller thinks about regularly but Farm Talk is definitely an interesting read. The paper is based is Parsons, Kansas and can be a bit hard to find in our area so if you want a copy give ‘em a call at (800) 356-8255.
I thought I’d leave this subject with a few quotes from a Farm Talk column by Mark Parker listing the signs that old age is edging up on you:

‘A young farmer mentions something “going viral” so you suggest he call the vet.”
“In the city you ask a kid if there’s a phone booth nearby and he says “What’s a phone booth?”
“This YouTube thing, it’s something you inflate right?”

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…………….
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