Farm Progress Show News
September 3, 2024“How Do I Deal with Weeds if I Can’t Spray Chemicals” and Other Fun Facts from the 2024 Farm Progress Show
The Horticulture exhibit at the 2024 Farm Progress Show (FPS) was a bevy of activity throughout the three days of the show, August 27 to 29, in Boone, Iowa. Officials from the FPS told Adam Thoms, the Horticulture FPS lead, that they were expecting 150,000 people throughout the show, with 10,000 in attendance the day we were there. Horticulture displays inside the ISU tent included Turfgrass, Organic Agriculture, Cut Flowers, and Greenhouse Plants, with an outdoor section showcasing a mini-Jack Trice Stadium, complete with goal posts and the I-State logo painted on the grass. Adam Thom’s turf team stenciled the logo on the Friday before the show and completed air-brushing the red and yellow paint in 6 hours, before the show opened on Tuesday. Cindy Haynes had buckets zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers and snapdragons to give away, along with a map of all the flower farms in Iowa. At the Organic Ag display, Josiah Pollock and Karenna Petersen happily talked visitors through organic practices and encouraged them to sign up for transitioning assistance through a QR code visitors could scan on their phones. The native flint corn the Organic Ag Lab grew in the Horticulture greenhouses was a big hit, with its resplendent purple, blue and white kernels. “I had never grown corn in pots,” said Kathleen Delate. “And I never expected we’d have such beautiful ears set by the time of the show!” In addition to many Iowa State fans, visitors hailed from Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Illinois and Missouri. One of the happier moments was a visit from Grace German, an ISU alumna, who took Dr. Delate’s Organic Ag class in 2020 and is now working for the FPS. She stopped by the booth with her family who operates an organic farm in Holstein, Iowa. Everyone agreed: Horticulture will be at the next Farm Progress Show! Thanks to everyone who made it such a success!
Stenciling the logo The painted logo
Organic Ag display
ISU alum Grace German and family