Since taking over as manager of Empire Farm Days last year, Jamie Meyer has been working to put her own mark on the show that’s been going since 1930.

“The demographic of farmer is shifting here in the Northeast; we just want to stay relevant with what they want to see," Meyer says.

This year’s show will feature new programming on hemp, expanded ride-and-drive experiences with compact tractors, new equine programming and workshops on manure injection.

The show will be held Aug. 6-8 at the Rodman Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls, which has hosted the event since 1988.

More than 400 exhibitors will be at the show, the largest such show in the Northeast.

Meyer says that compact tractors will be featured by John Deere, Kubota, Massey Ferguson and others.

Caterpillar is bringing its new line of 323 next-generation excavators. Visitors will be able to try the excavator in the ride-and-drive area.

CNY Drone Works is showcasing drones designed for agricultural applications with demos held three times a day each day.

Oxbo is bringing its line of small forage mergers to the show.

COMPACT TRACTORS: Equipment manufacturers will be bringing in more compact tractors for visitors to check out.

Even though farmers, especially dairy farmers, have struggled the past couple of years, Meyer says the number of exhibitors to the show is still strong.

“We haven’t noticed anything big,” she says. “We’re seeing a lot more of the smaller farm-focused groups.”

Soil health panels

Planting green, nutrient management in no-till and soil health management in vegetable production are among the practices that will be discussed by eight farmers tapped for Soil Health Center panel presentations.

The farmer panel begins daily at 11 a.m. following the day’s keynote speaker.

Dairy Profit Seminars

The dairy seminar series features presentations with a specific focus on money-saving solutions and dairy strategies to help producers adapt and evolve in the current economic climate.

Professor Tom Overton, director of Cornell Pro-Dairy, will be the keynote speaker Aug. 6 at 2 p.m.

This year’s seminar series will feature more topic presentations with shorter timeslots.

DRONE DEMOS: CNY Drone Works is showcasing drones designed for agricultural applications with demos three times a day each day.

Presentations will be held Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The New York Junior Dairy Leaders Graduation Program will be held Aug. 8 at 10:30 a.m.

Soil health trailer

The New York Soil Health Trailer will be at Empire Farm Days as part of its summer tour across the Northeast to educate visitors on soil compaction in regional pasture soils. The solar-powered trailer carries a demonstration table that shows how different soils react to rainfall and how healthy soils improve infiltration and prevent runoff.

A USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grant provided the funding to develop the New York Soil Health Trailer, which has its own water supply to simulate rainfall on the various soil samples to demonstrate water-holding capacity and runoff levels.

The trailer will be located near the Soil Health Center.