It’s time for World Ag Expo – a great opportunity to find the latest technology available in the agriculture business and learn how the cutting-edge products and services can increase the efficiency of your farming operation.

The stage is set for the upcoming 2015 World Ag Expo - the 48^th annual farm show - Feb. 10-12 at the International Agri-Center (IAC) in Tulare, Calif.

“World Ag Expo is the place to find cutting-edge technology from all over the world in one place,” says World Ag Expo Volunteer Chairman Allen Klee, who represents an army of about 1,200 volunteers primed and ready to help attendees and exhibitors at this year’s show.

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Expo is the world’s largest outdoor farm exposition, drawing an estimated 100,000 people from 40-50 countries around the globe. Nearly 1,500 exhibitors will offer a wide array of products and services on the 2.6 million square feet (80 acres) of outdoor and indoor exhibit space.

Show times are Tuesday (Feb. 10) and Wednesday (Feb. 11) from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Thursday (Feb. 12) from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

General admission tickets are available online prior to Expo or at the gate. Save $5 per ticket when buying tickets in advance online for $10 at www.WorldAgExpo.org.  Use the discount code WAENEWS.

Ordering your ticket online automatically enters you into a drawing for a Yamaha ATV.

General admission at the gate is $15. Children age 12 and under are admitted free.

What’s new?

Enjoy an hour-long lunch with California agricultural leader AG Kawamura during “The Farmers’ Lunch” on Thursday (Feb. 12) in the VIP Event Tent. Kawamura is the keynote speaker, former California Secretary of Agriculture, and actively involved in agricultural policy at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

Farmers’ Lunch tickets can be purchased online for $35 per person or $280 for a reserved table of eight.

Also new this year is live local music and a cold beer at the Budweiser After-Hours Party on Wednesday, Feb. 11 in the World Ag Expo Arena. Avoid the traffic at the end of the day, sit back, and enjoy the music. Attendees and exhibitors are welcome.

Park & Ride

Attendees can park at five offsite parking locations in the Tulare and Visalia areas to take a free bus ride to the show grounds from Tuesday through Thursday. Park & Ride services are available from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, plus Thursday from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. More information is available at www.WorldAgExpo.org/Admission.

For Park & Ride service from Fresno and Clovis to World Ag Expo grounds, rides are available for a fee and by reservation only. Call (559) 641-6789.

Back this year

Other special events include a Prayer Breakfast at 7 a.m. Wednesday (Feb. 11) in the VIP Event Tent. For more information, call (559) 684-6100 or (559) 688-7569.

The Agricultural Leadership Alumni Breakfast is at 6:30 a.m. Thursday in the Heritage Complex Banquet Hall. More information is available at (559) 735-9700 and by e-mail at [email protected].

The free Exhibitor Showcase is back at the World Ag Expo Arena. Attendees can take a seat to see and learn about the newest farm equipment available for agriculture.

Phone app

The quick, easy, and free 2015 World Ag Expo smartphone app is available, developed by the International Agri-Center and Penton. Simply go to your smartphone’s app store, search for ‘2015 World Ag Expo,’ and click the download button.

With the app, attendees can navigate the show grounds, locate specific vendors, connect with social media, receive daily World Ag Expo alerts and breaking news, navigate the show grounds, and review free seminar topics and schedules.

The app can even help satisfy your hunger cravings. Search the app for food options on the show grounds. Food sale proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations.

Win a Toyota truck

One lucky winner will win a new 2015 Toyota Tundra pickup. Guild members of the Children’s Hospital of California will be onsite selling $5 raffle tickets for the truck donated by the Northern California Dealer Association.

All ticket proceeds will support the Children’s Hospital of California. The winner will be announced on Thursday afternoon of Expo.

Agricultural tours

Want to take a farm tour during World Ag Expo? The IAC has a handful to choose from:

Ag Tour # 1:  Fresno Wine Tour – Focus is on winemaking, tasting wines, and touring three beautiful vineyards: A. Nonini Winery, Lo Mac Winery, and Engelmann Cellars. 

Ag Tour #2 & 6:  Visalia Dairy Tour - The Elkhorn and Milky Way dairies highlight technology and state-of-the-art facilities used by California dairies. 

Ag Tour #3:  Citrus Tour – Learn about the valley’s citrus industry and heritage with stops at the University of California Lindcove Research & Extension Center, Monrovia Nursery, and McKellar Family Farms. 

Ag Tour #4:  Kingsburg & Fresno Wine Tour - Visit three family-owned wineries including Ramos Torres Winery, Yribarren Family Vineyards and Milla Vineyards. All are committed to crafting wines of unique character.

Ag Tour #5:  Dairy & Feed Mill Tour - Learn about the Curtimade Dairy operation, plus visit the J.D. Heiskell & Co. Feed Mill and see the production warehouse, service trucks, and rail unloading.

Ag Tour #6:  Citrus Groves and Historic Exeter Tour – Enjoy Exeter, Calif.’s past and small-town splendor, plus visit Jim and Stacy Morcom’s citrus groves and orchards.

For more information on the farm tours, visit www.worldagexpo.com/ag-tours online.

Info-packed seminars

Free seminars will feature the latest information about irrigation, hay and forage, beef and dairy production, international trade, irrigation, and general agriculture at the Seminar Center.

More info

More information about the 2015 World Ag Expo is available at www.WorldAgExpo.org.

The International Agri-Center produces World Ag Expo, the California Antique Farm Equipment Show, and is home to the AgVentures! Learning Center and the Antique Farm Equipment Museum.