NOT HORSING AROUND. Huntsinger Farms, the largest grower and processor of horseradish in the world, will host this year’s Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. (Submitted photo)

Farmers know better than most people how forces outside of our control can impact life. While society as a whole got a huge reminder of that fact via the pandemic, since time immemorial farmers have been at the mercy of the rain, the sun, and other uncontrollable forces of nature.

And so it’s no surprise they acted quickly when the pandemic forced the cancelation of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days last year.

Eric Rygg, president of Eau Claire’s Huntsinger Farms and Silver Spring Foods, was all set to host the massive, statewide agricultural event last summer when the pandemic hit. He recalled recently that he only had a day or two to decide whether to agree to host the event instead in 2021.

Rescheduling was an easy decision: Years of planning had already gone into bringing the traveling event to Eau Claire County for the first time in nearly 30 years. With more than 45,000 attendees and hundreds of exhibitors expected, the impact on the community and the region’s farms and agribusinesses would be huge.

“We’ve got something for everyone and then some,” said Mike Gintner, chair of the Eau Claire County Executive Committee. “We’ve taken the extra year we’ve had to plan an even better show.”

The annual Farm Technology Days draws tens of thousands of visitors and features hundreds of exhibitors.

“My family is really honored to take advantage of the opportunity to host this show,” Rygg said. Like countless Wisconsinites, Rygg has deep roots – in this case, horseradish roots – in the state’s soil: In 1929, his great-grandfather, Ellis Huntsinger, founded what is now the world’s largest grower and processor of horseradish.

Farm Technology Days – originally known as Farm Progress Days – began in 1954 as a way of educating farmers about how they could take advantage of electricity to improve their operations. Fast forward to 2021, where the host farm – just south of Eau Claire on Highway 37 – gets more than 18% of its electricity from solar panels.

The Solar Farm will be just one of bumper crop of attractions at Farm Technology Days, which will run July 20-22. The event isn’t just for farmers, of course, but for anyone curious about the impact of agriculture on our community and economy. There will be farm tours, a massive tent city, an area jam-packed with activities for kids, and an event stage where regional favorite singer/songwriter Chris Kroeze will perform all three days.

“We’ve got something for everyone and then some,” said Mike Gintner, chair of the Eau Claire County Executive Committee. “We’ve taken the extra year we’ve had to plan an even better show.”

Among the many attractions are:

FARM TOURS. Attendees can take a bus tour of the host farm (what better way to learn all the spicy facts about horseradish?) as well as nearby Nellie’s Holsteins (a fourth- and fifth-generation dairy farm), and do a slow drive-by of Ferguson’s Orchards (a big ag tourism destination and one of the Midwest’s largest apple producers).

INNOVATION SQUARE. At the center of the huge tent city of 480 exhibitors just down the road from the Huntsinger home farm visitors will find Innovation Square, which will feature displays from five of the biggest, most innovative agricultural operations in the region: Menomonie-based Chippewa Valley Bean Company, the largest grower and processor of kidney beans in the world; Eau Claire’s Ferguson’s Orchards, grower of 37 varieties of apples; Marieke Gouda, the national and international award-winning cheesemakers from Thorp; Superior Fresh of Hixton, the world’s largest aquaponic farm, which grows leafy greens and Atlantic Salmon; and, naturally, Silver Spring Foods itself.

Farm Technology Days will include a huge tent city, like this one, as well as Innovation Square, which will showcase businesses such as Huntsinger Farms, Marieke Gouda, and others.

YOUTH TENT AND CAREER DISCOVERY ZONE. “A jam-packed tent that will entertain and educate kids of all ages and connect high school students to great training opportunities,” organizers say. And kids who complete an activity guide will earn a free scoop of Culver’s custard!

RURAL EVENT CENTER. This stage will host performances by Kroeze and other musicians, as well as visits from Alice in Dairyland and Inga Witscher of Around the Farm Table, plus informational and educational sessions.

TONS OF TRACTORS. In addition to more than 200 older tractors and farm implements on display in the heritage area, the event will host the Wisconsin FFA High School Tractor Driving Contest and a Pedal Push Tractor Pull each day (for kids and adults). If you’re looking for something with a little more horsepower, John Deere will be on hand providing the chance to ride and drive a variety of trucks, utility vehicles, and ATVs.

Rygg emphasized that Farm Tech Days is for everyone in the Chippewa Valley – farmers, rural residents, and city dwellers alike. “We want people in the community to come out,” he said. “This is a way to support the community after a year of hardship.”

When: July 20-22, 9am-4pm

Where: Huntsinger Farms, W3020 Mitchell Road, Eau Claire

Tickets: Single day, $10; three-day pass, $25; five-person family pack for a single day, $40.

Learn More: wifarmtechdays.org

Agricultural demonstrations, like this one during a past year, are part of the traveling event.