ISU Returns Under the Hoops

Background

ISU's Farm Progress Show Exhibit

Farm Progress Show.com

Wallaces Farmer

Site map (shows location of ISU Extension exhibit on grounds) [.pdf file]

Exhibit plan (shows layout of exhibit) [.pdf file]

Show location (highway map) [.pdf file]

Volunteer Schedule
Sign up here to work at the show

Shift times:
Shift 1: 7:30-10:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Shift 2: 10:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Production Schedule
(set up and tear down) [.pdf file]

Other shows, exhibits

The Farm Progress Show first came to Iowa in 1959. Iowa State University likely was represented there (though we haven’t been able to verify that). However, Iowa State was present at the 1962 show with “an elaborate display on new and better routes to practical swine production,” according to Wallace’s Farmer. That year Extension and research specialists were available to discuss the exhibit and help farmers with their concerns.

Since those early shows, ISU’s presence has broadened to showcase education and information from throughout the university and Extension.

The Iowa State University exhibit returns to the 2004 Farm Progress Show this year, with new information on crops, livestock, farm equipment, gardening, and making healthy choices when eating carbohydrates. The ISU displays offer a broad range of useful scientific information for farm, home, and personal development, showing ISU’s dedication to science with practice.

Contacts
Mark Hanna, ISU Extension agricultural and biosystems engineer (event chair)
Elaine Edwards, ISU Extension communications manager (manager of ISU exhibit)
Dave Pavlik, ISU Extension graphic designer (exhibit and display lead designer)
Jean McGuire, ISU Extension communications specialist (exhibit content specialist)

ISU Displays
This year’s exhibit covers an assortment of topics.

1. Visit the Iowa Beef Center display to learn more about the National Animal Identification System. This animal identity program will be introduced to producers by 2005 and requires radio frequency identification tags for all cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry. Contact John Lawrence, director, Iowa Beef Center.

2. Two displays in the ISU exhibit will focus on improving soybean production. The first looks at soybean aphids, a pest that caused a great deal of problems for producers last year. The display will feature color images of the insect and will outline management strategies. An eight-page publication, Soybean Aphids in Iowa 2004, will be available to visitors. It includes the latest information on the pest’s biology, natural enemies, management options, and insecticide economic thresholds based on research from the University of Minnesota. Contact Matt O’Neal or Marlin Rice, Department of Entomology.

The Asian soybean rust display will feature a large map showing where in the world soybean rust has been confirmed. This display will include a publication that outlines what Iowa soybean producers should do before, during, and after soybean rust enters the United States. It also will explain the “Fast Track” system that has been developed by the Iowa Soybean Rust Team to help identify and manage this fungus once it reaches Iowa. Contact Greg Tylka or Allison Robertson, Extension plant pathologists.

3. Check out the oil from new varieties of soybean developed by ISU researchers. This new one percent linolenic oil will help food manufacturers move away from using oils that contain trans fats or hydrogenated oil. Contact Walter Fehr and Jim Jensen.

4. Find more power at the Cyclone Power Pullers display in the form of a tractor designed and built by ISU undergraduate Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering students. The tractor recently competed in the powerpulling competition at the 2004 American Society of Agricultural Engineers’ National 1/4 Scale Tractor Design Competition. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering associate professor Stuart Birrell is the Cyclone Power Pullers’ faculty advisor.

5. Farm Safety: Test your braking knowledge with an interactive display to see if you can identify the correct towing capacity of several trucks and tractors. Each harvest season some loaded wagons go into the ditch because of the inability of the towing vehicle and braking system to control the load. The display shows safe operating procedures and is targeted primarily to people who are not familiar with towing loads but who help out on farms—a brother-in-law, nephew, or whoever. While the display is aimed at inexperienced drivers, it also reiterates to experienced drivers to be cautious. The display is about making the proper choices of how to match capacity for vehicles towing loads. An outdoor exhibit on ROPS (rollover protection system) also will be available. Contact Charles Schwab and Mark Hanna, Extension agricultural and biosystem engineers.

6. Discover how many carbohydrates you should eat each day and why you should eat them. Carbohydrates play many roles in the body, and not eating carbohydrates can increase the risk of diseases, like certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, because of the increased intake of fat. A list of the top ten reasons to eat carbohydrates will be featured at the display along with an interactive computer game that allows people to see how many carbohydrates they eat in a day based on the food they normally eat. Contact Ruth Litchfield, Extension food and nutrition specialist.

7. Learn how to become a Master Gardener, see what perennials will grow best in your garden, and find out what butterfly is being reintroduced to Iowa by Reiman Gardens. Contact James Romer, Extension coordinator of the Master Gardener program.

8. WOI Radio will broadcast the Midday and Talk of Iowa programs live from the show, along with market news reports. Contact Katherine Perkins, WOI Radio, and Doug Cooper, Extension Market News.

9. Extension Distribution Center will market Extension educational materials, including publications and videos. Visitors to the ISU exhibit will be able to register to win a free copy of the Soybean Growth and Development book. The 28-page book is designed to help soybean producers more fully understand how the soybean plant develops and to provide common terminology when discussing soybean growth and development. The content covers soybean growth and development through one life cycle of a maturity group II variety in Iowa. In addition, management guides pinpoint practices that provide optimum plant growth and production at different growth stages. Contact Jim Trow, Extension Distribution Center.

10. The BIOWA display features many of the new products derived from corn and soybeans grown in Iowa. The exhibit discusses some of the technologies for converting crops and plant materials into chemicals, fuels, fibers, and energy. A flowchart shows how corn becomes PLA, a building material that can be used to create blankets or other everyday objects. The display also includes a BIOWA map of biobased industries in Iowa.

The CIRAS bioindustry initiative helps Iowa businesses and communities develop, market, and use agricultural crops for the production of biobased goods and energy. The initiative is based on the premise that the world is changing from a hydrocarbon-based economy to a bioeconomy in which renewable agricultural resources provide the bulk of raw materials for the production of goods and energy. The hydrocarbon economy developed over the 20th century as America's industrial and research establishments joined with government to produce goods, materials, and a reliable source of energy from fossil fuels. Today, however, this once efficient economy is increasingly threatened by seasonal shortages, environmental concerns, and the potential for long-term disruptions of supplies from oil-rich countries. Because Iowa has the potential to produce significant stocks of biomass, CIRAS is working actively with agricultural producers, biomass processors, research institutions, and industry stakeholders to position our state at the forefront of America's emerging bioeconomy. Contact Jill Euken, ISU Extension CIRAS field specialist and manager of the BIOWA project.

11. The College of Agriculture display will encourage potential students to consider career opportunities within agriculture and provide information on enrolling in several majors within the college. In addition, the Office of Admissions will staff an exhibit and answer questions for potential students and their parents. Contact Barb McBreen, College of Agriculture Information Office.

12. Nature Mapping, an understanding of ecological relationships and natural resource management, is critical to the economic, biologic, and aesthetic wellbeing of the people of Iowa. This display provides information and education that helps people learn to

• enhance wildlife resources,
• wisely use wildlife resources so that they are sustainable over time,
• manage habitat for wildlife,
• reduce damaging or nuisance interactions between people and wildlife.

Contact Jason O’Brien, Extension wildlife program specialist and Nature Mapping coordinator.

13. The Vineyards and Wineries display provides information on Iowa’s developing grape and wine industry. Contact Mike White, Extension viticulturalist.

14. The Universal Design for Better Living: The Essential Bathroom display includes universal design features in the bathroom. Following universal design means you won’t have to be forced to move or do major remodeling if the health or abilities of family members change. See this full size trailer with two bathrooms on exhibit. Contact Mary Yearns, Extension housing specialist.

15. Other posters will include

• a history of dairy at Iowa State University
• 4-H’s Operation: Military Kids
• Crop Advantage
• Iowa Pork Industry Center
• Perennials
• Urban Agriculture