World Ag Expo kicks off in Tulare, drawing global crowd

TULARE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The World Ag Expo kicked off in Tulare on Tuesday.

It is the largest event of its kind, drawing crowds from around 70 countries. 

Visitors know it as an epicenter for agriculture innovation, but everyone from lifelong farmers to toddlers who just learned that a cow says “moo” can find something that interests them.

For example, John Guard traveled from Oceanside, California for the expo. He has never worked in agriculture, but he attended to network.

“You meet people, new opportunities. You need to find people. I mean, it’s all about knowing somebody,” Guard said.

The expo features about 1,200 vendors showing off the latest in agriculture technology.

COS Ag Technology Professor Charlie Abee set up a booth in the irrigation center.

“In our Ag Technology program, we’ve worked with local companies to implement Ag technologies on our farm that monitor our groundwater pumping levels and the amount of water that we pump. And then we’ve also implemented some automation along with those technologies,” Abee said.

He says many of the department’s clients started as connections from previous expos.

Some traveled from countries like China and Great Britain to see this kind of technology.

Local students, however, simply have to drive down the road.

“I can have my students actually come here and talk to the industry professionals, right? I can say stuff a million times in class, but, you know, the second they go talk to an industry professional, it’s like it clicks,” Abee said.

Abee does not take for granted that the world’s largest annual ag show is right in his backyard.

Organizers expect around 100,000 people to attend this year, and Abee hopes they come expecting to learn new things and make new connections.

The expo continues through Thursday, offering many educational forums.

One brand new forum is at the Women’s Pavilion. Organizers are hosting seminars to help elevate women in the agriculture industry.

The seminars began Tuesday and will continue throughout the week.

Organizers recommend buying expo tickets online before arriving and using the code VIP25 for a discounted price.