Farm Technology Days postponed to 2021

The Executive Committee of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days 2020 Eau Claire announced that it has postponed this year’s event to July 20-22, 2021 because of the impact Covid-19 is anticipated to have across Wisconsin this year. Huntsinger Farms, the 2020 Host Farm, has generously offered to host Farm Technology Days in 2021 in Eau Claire.

Eau Claire will fill a gap year in the FTD schedule, as there was no show planned for 2021.

The decision was made by the Executive Committee after discussion and input from the Eau Claire County officials, sponsors, volunteers, and exhibitors.

“The health and safety of all our attendees, volunteers, and exhibitors is our primary concern, and we felt we could not proceed with 2020 plans based on the ever-changing Covid-19 situation,” said John Leary, Executive Chair Wisconsin Farm Technology Days 2020, Eau Claire. “We are grateful to the Rygg family for their extraordinary offer to host the show on their Huntsinger Farms Eau Claire property in 2021. Collectively, the committee and the Rygg family are committed to building on the exciting plans we already had in place for this year to make next year’s show even better.”

Eric Rygg, President of Huntsinger Farms and its Silver Spring Foods subsidiary added, “While we’re disappointed that the 2020 show won’t happen, we’re excited that we’ve been able to accommodate shifting Farm Technology Days to 2021. I know it’s going to be an awesome event that shows both the resilience and the promising future of the Wisconsin Ag community.”

Leary also noted that Eau Claire County officials have moved quickly in this very busy time to work with the committee for next year’s dates.

The Executive Committee will reconvene this summer to pick up the plans already in place and start augmenting them for 2021.

“The silver lining is that with all of the great plans for this year already in place, we will be able to produce an even better show for next year,” added Leary.

About Wisconsin Farm Technology Days

Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is a three-day outdoor event showcasing the latest developments in production agriculture, including practical applications and recent research and technological developments. This is the only farm show of its size in the United States that is organized and run entirely by volunteers. As the largest outdoor agricultural event in the state, it welcomes more than 45,000 attendees, with more than 600 commercial and educational vendors.

The first WFTD show was named Farm Progress Days and was held in Waupaca County in 1954.

About Agriculture in Eau Claire County

Agriculture works hard for Eau Claire County every day. Family-owned farms, food processors and agriculture-related businesses generate thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of economic activity while contributing to local income and tax revenues. Eau Claire County, though dominated by the dairy industry, raises everything from meat goats to milking sheep to apples, grapes and vegetables. The county has seen farm numbers rise, while farm acreage has declined to an average farm size of 155 acres. Migration from the city to rural areas has resulted in smaller farms producing a variety of products. A diverse population has created opportunities to fill ethnic and specialty food niches. Meanwhile, county institutions and farmers have joined forces to produce fresh, healthy products to meet a growing demand for local food.