For thirty-three years, members of the agriculture industry have descended upon the Red River Valley Fairgrounds in West Fargo to take part in the Big Iron Farm Show. What started as a small farm show in Casselton in 1980 has ballooned to an event attended by over 75,000 people from across the United States and abroad. The focus of this year’s event is technology and how best to utilize technological advancements on the farm. In addition, more than 900 exhibit booths, training sessions, and demonstrations will be held throughout the September 9-11 event. The Big Iron Farm Show is the largest farm show in the upper Midwest; a distinction event organizers take great pride in.

The primary field demonstration at this year’s show will be Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Such technology has been used by the military for many years. It isn’t until fairly recently, however, that the agricultural applications of UAS, or drones, as been of interest. The technology is currently being studied at the North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Office. During the Big Iron Farm Show, researchers from the project will be holding both field demonstrations and data interpretation classes for the type of UAS that has potential agricultural applications for area farmers. Field demonstrations will take place daily from 1:00 – 3:00pm south of the Red River Valley grandstand. UAS data interpretation classes will take place at 3:00pm in the SC Hollander Pavilion meeting room.

John Nowatzki, Agricultural Machine Systems Specialist from NDSU and lead investigator on the UAS research project is excited about the possibilities this technology may present to area farmers. According to Nowatzki, a big benefit of the technology is that the information produced by UAS is available immediately. “Satellite imagery availability takes a while,” he explained. Another benefit is the wide array of uses for UAS. “They can pick up so many things from the air,” Nowatzki said, explaining that area farmers could utilize the technology for anything from detecting nitrogen deficiency and monitoring herbicide drift to using thermal imaging to determine if any livestock are ill with fever.

Karl Hoppe, Area Extension Specialist – Livestock in the Carrington office is also working on the project. He acknowledges that the technology is still in its infancy. The untapped potential of the technology is likely the most exciting part of the UAS research. “As we learn more about the capabilities and limitations of UAS, equipment can be designed to take advantage of those strengths and weaknesses,” he explained. Like Nowatzki, Hoppe believes one of the key benefits in UAS is the immediacy of the results. “If a person wants to check a field for a pest, plant health issue, or just curiosity, they could from a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) over the field and see the results in a matter of minutes from when they make the decision to do the surveillance.”

Although the commercial use of UAS is currently prohibited by FAA regulations, the technology is being studied with the hopes of implementation in the near future. It may not be too long until such technology is utilized across the Red River Valley. Until that time comes, however, farmers will have to settle for demonstrations and lectures.

A full schedule for the Big Iron Farm Show can be found at www.bigironfarmshow.com, but the highlights are below:

· Unmanned Aircraft Systems field demonstrations will take place daily from 1:00 – 3:00pm south of the grandstand.

· Daily seminars and discussions will take place in the Issues and Event Center from 10:30 – 2:30 each day. Topics of discussion include the weather outlook, FSA Farm Bill implementation, marketing, and land values.

· Health screenings will be provided daily between 9:00am – 4:00pm east of the Expo Center. 4th year students from NDSU’s Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences will conduct the screenings for a minimal charge. Cholesterol screenings are $15, glucose screenings $5, and blood pressure screenings free. In addition, Sheyenne Hearing Services will be available to conduct free hearing tests.

· The ever-popular Women’s Day Brunch and Style Show will take place on Wednesday from 10:00am – 1:00pm at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. Tickets are $20 and include brunch, live entertainment, and a style show.

· Northstar Genetics will be sponsoring a pancake breakfast on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7:30 – 10:30am. There is no cost for the event, but goodwill donations will be accepted.

· Finally, what is a festival without food? Vendors will be on hand throughout the show hocking everything from tacos-in-a-bag and corndogs to cheese curds and chicken wings. Delectable dessert items will also be available, including funnel cake, deep-fried cheesecake, and mini-donuts.

The Big Iron Farm Show is open from 9:00am – 5:00pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and 9:00am – 4:00pm on Thursday. More information can be found at www.bigironfarmshow.com.