It’s that time of year again! The World Ag Expo — the largest farm show not only in America, but also on the entire planet — returns to the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California, on February 13th.
The event will run until 4 pm on February 15th. More than 100,000 attendees are expected throughout those three days, along with 1,450 exhibitors. “We come here every year to promote our irrigation designs and installations, showcase the products we sell, and increase our exposure amongst the local growers,” explains Sam Baldivia, the Irrigation Sales Manager at Fruit Growers Supply. “The entire farming community goes to the expo, and we’re not here just to promote ourselves — we’re here to show our support.”
Baldivia says it’s still too early to talk about FGS’ physical layout at the expo, which has expanded during recent years to include multiple booths, video screens, AstroTurf, and ample seating. He does know, however, that this year’s booth will focus once again on a relaxing customer experience.
“We provide attendees with a place where they can sit, relax, and talk,” he says. “When we set up our booth last year, we finally made that change and added chairs to our layout. Everyone at the farm show is walking multiple miles every day, and every time I go to another vendor, there’s nowhere to sit! If we provide seating for people, as well as some video clips that showcase what we’re doing with irrigation designs and installations, that works out for everyone. It gives people the opportunity to sit down, eat their lunch, and just talk with us, and it gives us the opportunity to share what we’ve been doing.”
Speaking of lunch, Baldivia has a pro-tip for all attendees: try the steak sandwiches. “Everyone loves to go to the Sundale School food booth,” he says. “They’re really well-known for making ribeye steak sandwiches. They’ve been doing it for decades.” The Sundale School sells an estimated 22,000 sandwiches at the expo every year, raising funds for the school’s fine arts and agricultural departments. In other words, eating a steak sandwich won’t just satisfy your hunger — it might also improve the education of tomorrow’s agricultural professionals.
And speaking of agricultural professionals, Baldivia plans on spotlighting the installation crews who’ve brought new business to the FGS irrigation department over the past two years. Launched in October 2021, those installation crews allow FGS not only to design customized irrigation systems, but to physically install them, too. “We do it all: excavation, trenching, concrete work, welding, installation of irrigation pipeline, tubing, and troubleshooting,” says Baldivia. “We have full control of the installation schedule, too, because the timetable is no longer dictated by a subcontractor, and we can be more flexible with labor pricing.”
That’s what the World Ag Expo is all about: innovation, demonstration, and collaboration. “People show up to learn about all the new stuff that’s coming out,” Baldivia adds. “They’ll be able to see some new products, new innovations, new technologies, and everything that’s happening in agriculture these days.”
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