I’ve spent to the day having a sneak preview of the World Ag Expo before the gates are opened to visitors tomorrow.
The conference is spread over about 60 acres (24ha) of land, and with 100,000 visitors expected, its going to get busy.
Today though the exhibitors were busy setting up their stalls and cleaning their machinery, using so much polish that the smell of it hung across the showground.
I’ve attempted to take some photos of some of the machinery, which you can see in my expo gallery – apologies in advance if they don’t meet the usual FW standard, I’m the first to admit I’m no machinery expert!
I managed to chat to some of the exhibitors and had a look at some quite interesting new technology, including robotic calf feeders and a system that automatically cleans and monitors dairy units.
But while I was trying to learn about the technology and machinery on show, the exhibitors had their own questions.
These invariably rang along the lines of: “Are you from Australia? Oh you’re a journalist from England? I knew an Englishman once – Simon Jones. You heard’a him?”
But perhaps the most bizarre question of the day was from a Texan man who sold silage mixers.
“What I’ve always wanted to know,” he drawled as he pushed his cap back, “Is how do you English manage to survive on just apples? It’s just astonishing.”
It turned out he thought the UK’s agricultural industry depended largely on apple production, and he seemed genuinely surprised when I explained our industry was a little more diverse than that.
“You should go and speak to Ben over by those irrigators,” my Texan friend said. “He’d be mighty in’erested to hear what you’re saying.”
And so off I went to explain the basics of British agriculture to a bemused farmer from Minnesota.
I thought I’d come to California to learn about American agriculture, but by the looks if it, I may well be doing the teaching for the next few days.
Comments (1)
I know a Simon Jones if it is any help...
Comment left on February 12, 2008 9:10 AM
Posted on February 12, 2008 09:10