PEORIA, Ill. – Farmers from across the land are converging on the Peoria Civic Center this week to learn the latest in their industry.
The 42nd Greater Peoria Farm Show is taking place this week from Tuesday through Thursday. More than 200 exhibitors will be showing off the latest information and products they have for attendees.
Show Manager Ron Bormaster says there’s a focus this year on technology.
“Whether we realize it or not, technology is a big thing in farming, and it’s something that they’re all beginning to get into if they haven’t already,” Bormaster said.
Bormaster says some of the technology people can see includes how GPS can be used for planting, and the usage of drones to tend to farmland.
One of the companies displaying their drones at the show was Gripp from Bureau County.
Gripp Vice President of Drone Operations David Taylor says using a drone can be more efficient for farmers looking to apply treatment in their fields.
“We saw a lot more timeliness, so if we were ready for that fungicide pass, we could get out there right away and hit it, rather than waiting on a third party to come out with a plane or helicopter,” Taylor said.
Taylor says the drone can also be more precise, with a less of a chance of operator error with the computers inside the drone.
But he says there’s still some hurdles to overcome with drones, including battery life and improving the speed to get people licensed to operate them.
Phone apps were also being shown to help farmers be more efficient with their work. Valley of Nebraska showed attendees an app to control their irrigation systems with a few taps of their phone.
Manager Luke Wickman says the app can help give time back to farmers, instead of spending long days tending to their systems.
“A lot of farmers would spend all of their summer, running around, looking at their pivots, making sure they’re running, making sure they’re not stuck, and they missed out on a lot of family time,” Wickman said. “With this technology, now they can be sitting at their grandson’s t-ball game and just look at their phone and make sure that everything’s running, rather than missing out on all that important family time.”
Wickman says there are some limitations with the app technology, mainly that it runs off a cellular signal that may not be reliable all the time. But he says the app can also reduce overhead costs with less people needing to monitor irrigation systems.
The show runs from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Tuesday and Wednesday and 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Thursday. Admission and parking are free for the event.
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