This year, when you enter the show grounds off of Husker Highway west of Grand Island, you’ll enter a completely different show site compared to the one you saw a year ago.

Over the last 10 months, construction crews, engineers and electricians have added $7.5 million worth of updates to the show site — including new plumbing, a new electrical system and new pavement. And after 40 years at the same show site, visitors and exhibitors alike knew it was time for an upgrade.

Last year, as we celebrated Husker Harvest Days’ 40th anniversary, we visited with several folks who were there on that foggy day back in 1977, when crews first broke ground at what would become the HHD site. When they first laid the groundwork for what would become the world’s largest totally irrigated working farm show, they could never have imagined that the show site would evolve to become what it is today.

That is, it’s a site that’s grown to accommodate modern equipment and technology, with a fully renovated electrical system and 10 miles of paved streets.

And the latest technology, equipment and management practices are a big part of what draws 100,000 visitors to the show each year. Here, you have the chance to compare the newest combines, grain carts, tillage and hay equipment side by side in field demonstrations.

Seeing iron at work in the field is a big part of what makes HHD so great, but there’s also plenty to learn and see on the exhibitor field. HHD is a learning experience, and here you can visit with company representatives, government agencies, farm and ranch associations, commodity boards, conservation and wildlife groups, and researchers.

If you’ve got a question about grain marketing and farm management, you’ll want to stop by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Husker Red Building. The theme for IANR’s exhibit this year is “Managing Change and Challenge,” and the Husker Red Building will be full of Nebraska Extension educators and specialists to discuss topics like getting the most return on investment from inputs, managing crop budgets, and marketing strategies in times of low commodity prices.

This year, Nebraska Extension is bringing a new focus to baling corn residue, and will give a 30-minute program on the west side of the show site each day, where visitors can learn about the latest options in cornstalk baling equipment.

If you’re interested in conservation practices like planting native prairie seed or Colorado blue spruce trees, or if you want to gain some valuable conservation advice or learn about cost-share opportunities, visit with a specialist from one of the state’s 23 natural resources districts (NRDs) at the Natural Resources Building.

If you’ve got a question about the latest corn hybrids or soybean varieties, or any questions about hybrid and variety placement, numerous seed vendors can be found on the southeast quadrant of the showground.

A number of milestones have taken place over the years at Husker Harvest Days. While the event was originally attended almost solely by groups of farmers carpooling to the show together in their pickup trucks — it’s still an ag-oriented event to this day — it’s also become an event for the whole family. This includes the introduction of the Country Craft Tent and exhibitors showcasing prefabricated homes. As remote sensing and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have garnered more interest and use on farms nationwide, they’ve also taken flight at HHD since 2015.

Whether it’s the latest ag tech and innovation, or farm management practices you want to learn about and see, we invite you to join us for another year at Husker Harvest Days — at a brand-new show site — from Sept. 11 to 13.