Editor’s note: The Farm Progress Show is Aug. 27-29 in Boone, Iowa. Visit FarmProgressShow.com.

Filled with exhibitors showcasing interesting products and services, the Varied Industries Tent at the Farm Progress Show always attracts many visitors.

This year’s FPS at Boone in central Iowa will host the biggest Varied Industries Tent ever put up at any location. At 66 feet wide and nearly 700 feet long, the tent will extend all the way to Central Avenue and will be full of smaller innovative startup companies and businesses.

It’s a large tent —but still doesn’t have enough space to meet the demand. To accommodate the increased demand for exhibitor space and the number of visitors, a second VIT will welcome folks to the show this year. Located east of the traditional large VIT, the new tent, at a third the size of the big one, is named VIT East — or VITE for short.

“In an effort to accommodate even more indoor exhibits for the 2024 Farm Progress Show, we’ve added the second VIT tent in the southeast quadrant of the showgrounds,” show manager Matt Jungmann says. “We encourage all visitors to walk through the VIT and the VITE as part of their show plans and see what our exhibitors have to offer.”

Both tents full of products, services

Both tents will feature a comprehensive array of ag products and services, reflecting the diverse needs of the farming community.

Jungmann has never before seen so much interest from international companies wanting to exhibit at the show. The new VITE will accommodate them.

One partner is forming a Brazilian hospitality area, due to the number of folks coming from that country. The 2024 show is expected to draw a broad international audience, highlighting the increasing global demand for agriculture.

VITE is 66 feet wide by 216 feet long. It has temporary flooring made of modular plastic panels that lock together to create a smooth, hard floor.

Visitors and exhibitors in the VITE will have a comfortable walking experience, just as they do in the larger VIT.

At the 2022 show at Boone, a soy-based asphalt floor was introduced in the VIT. It’s still there and is a great improvement over walking on gravel, grass and wood chips. Soy-based asphalt is different from “regular” asphalt. The product uses soy and is sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association.

ISA invested in research to help develop soy-based asphalt. “We created an enhanced experience for visitors attending the show by upgrading the VIT area with the soy asphalt,” Jungmann says.

Building on research

An Iowa State University project formulated the soy asphalt, using high-oleic soybean oil to replace other expensive and highly volatile compounds used as binder in creating asphalt products. That research was funded by ISA.

Using soy in the asphalt improves the product’s durability and longevity, and reduces maintenance costs. It increases demand for soybean oil, enhances environmental quality and provides the Central Iowa Expo greater flexibility in the events it attracts and hosts.

“We’re glad to have brought this new technology to the Farm Progress Show,” says Don Tourte, a senior vice president at Farm Progress. “Any way we can improve the site for visitors and exhibitors while also encouraging new uses for our farmers’ crops creates benefits for everyone.”