The Farm Progress Show helps producers stay up to date on the newest agricultural equipment, products, services and technology. With recent mergers in the industry, the 2019 show, set for Aug. 27-29 in Decatur, Ill., will give producers a chance to interact with freshly minted brands.

“There have been a lot of mergers, and the people you used to buy things from wear different shirts with different logos than they used to. So what do all these mergers mean to your operation?” asks Matt Jungmann, Farm Progress Show manager. He says when farmers walk among the more than 600 exhibitors, “they’ll have plenty of opportunities to see for themselves. It’s a good place to figure out what all this change means.”

With new and bigger permanent grain bins, legs and buildings from GSI and Ag Growth International at the show, growers will also see the latest in grain storage and on-farm infrastructure.

“If you’re looking for solutions for grain handling, in addition to expansive systems from Brock, Sukup, Chief and other bin manufacturers, there’s also going to be two brand-new constructed systems from GSI and AGI,” Jungmann says. “Seeing exhibitors grow in spite of the ag economy being where it is — that’s always good to see.”

GSI’s new structure has a 60-foot, 10-ring, 40-series bin; a 12-by-12-foot quick-bolt tower with viewing platform; and a 6-by-115-foot quick-bolt catwalk.

Jungmann says exhibitors came out to view the standing permanent structures to “one up” each other as they prepared new attractions this year. “I’m very satisfied with the exhibitor turnout and demand for space. There are even folks who have expanded their spots,” he says.

For nearly the entire history of the Farm Progress Show, the hospitality area was located in a tent. Now, the hospitality area will be in a permanent steel building at the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Central Avenue.

Past show visitors will know the Hospitality Building as the previous Morton Buildings Inc.’s lot and building. Morton has built a new building on the southeast corner of Sixth and Central — the old Hospitality Tent location.

Jungmann says Morton’s new building is smaller than the Hospitality Building, as the company is marketing a farmstead-type home with an open floor plan and a competitive price for rural homebuyers. Alongside the new house is a new shed.

“There was a home built on one of our temporary sites before we relocated to the permanent grounds here in Decatur. It was called the Prairie Lady,” Jungmann says. “I think building another home here is a cool nod to our history.”