National Farm Machinery Show. Held in Louisville, Ky., this annual show is one of the largest indoor farm shows with 800 exhibitors and more than 300,000 attendees. Besides the 27 acres of indoor farm equipment displays, the show features the Championship Tractor Pull held every evening. The next National Farm Machinery Show is scheduled Feb. 13-16, 2013. Visit www.farmmachineryshow.org.

World Ag Expo. This massive exhibition is held every winter in Tulare, Calif., and is considered the largest farm show in the country. It covers 58 acres with outdoor exhibits and displays from 1,600 exhibitors. World Ag Expo covers a wide range of agriculture in addition to row crops. The 2013 show is scheduled Feb. 12-14. Visit www.worldagexpo.com.

Farm Progress Show. A popular Midwestern show for crop farmers, the annual Farm Progress Show is held late summer and rotates between Decatur, Ill., and Boone, Iowa. More than 100,000 people visit this event. In addition to the outdoor exhibits, the show features many field demonstrations of new machinery. This year, the show will be held Aug. 28-30 in Boone. In 2013, it will be held Aug. 27-29 in Decatur. Visit www.farmprogressshow.com.

Commodity Classic. This annual get-together for the corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum grower groups features an impressive exhibit area with machinery, crop protection and seed displays. All commercial crop farmers are welcome. This year, the event will be held in Nashville, Tenn., on March 1-3. The event is scheduled in Kissimmee, Fla., Feb. 28-March 2, 2013. Visit www.commodityclassic.com. 

Farm Science Review. The Ohio State University Farm Science Review will celebrate its 50th year at the show site just two miles outside of London, Ohio. The 2,100-acre show features many exhibits and field demonstrations for corn and soybean production. Show dates are Sept. 18–20 for this year and Sept. 17–19 for 2013. Visit www.fsr.osu.edu.

Sunbelt Ag Expo. Held each fall in Moultrie, GA, the popular southeast farm show features 1,200 exhibitors showing a wide variety of equipment for the large-acreage farmer and the weekend farmer. The site for the show has a 100-acre exhibit area and a 600-acre working research farm. This year's show is planned Oct. 16 to 18. Visit www.sunbeltexpo.com 

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show. The Mid-South Farm & Gin Show now offers plenty of equipment and programs for the corn and soybean farmer in addition to its coverage for the cotton industry. After the show, visitors can visit the famous sites in Memphis, Tenn., where the show is held. Sponsored by the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, the show is held in early March in the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Visit www.southerncottonginners.org.

Ag Connect Expo. The newest farm show on this list is Ag Connect Expo, produced by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). AEM put on the first Ag Connect in 2010 in Orlando, Fla., and the second one in 2011 in Atlanta, Ga. The next Ag Connect won’t be held until Jan. 29–31, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. The show featured between 300 and 400 exhibitors, many seminars and 11,500 attendees in 2011. Visit www.agconnect.com.

Best international shows

Agritechnica. Organizers of this indoor farm show in Hanover, Germany, claim it is the largest farm show in the world. And the turnout for last year’s show certainly supports this claim. More than 415,000 registered visitors attended to see displays from 2,600 companies. The site for the show is on the world’s largest fairground. Agritechnica builds its reputation on bringing in new technology for farming. It operates an extensive innovation contest that awards medals to the most innovative products on display. Held every other year, the next Agritechnica is scheduled Nov. 10–16, 2013. Visit www.agritechnica.com.

SIMA. The Paris farm show is another major European farm exhibition with plenty of new machinery to interest U.S. corn and soybean growers. Held every other year in Paris, SIMA was visited in 2011 by 209,000 attendees who walked through 1,300 exhibits. The next show will be Feb. 25-28, 2013. Visit http://en.simaonline.com/.

EIMA International. This Italian farm show is held on opposite years of SIMA and Agritechnica. The next EIMA is Nov. 7–11, 2012, in Bologna, Italy. Growers can see interesting equipment among the 1,600 exhibitors. The show has many exhibits of components for manufacturers. Visit www.eima.it.