Ag Connect will be Jan. 21-22

AG Connect, an event connecting farmers back to their roots, will be Jan. 21-22 in the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff.

The event was formerly called the Heartland Agriculture and Natural Resources Expo and has been held annually for 34 years. When COVID-19 challenges stalled the 2021 AG Expo, organizers and farmers began rethinking the 2022 event, and they wanted to return to its agricultural roots.

“One of the reasons we changed was for the farmers,” said John Fuller, interim county engagement specialist of the Butler County University of Missouri Extension Council.

Many have expressed it was not an agricultural event and Fuller said, “we agreed with that assessment. It was time for a reset, and to bring it back to agriculture.”

The events Friday will be exclusively for the agriculture industry. The activities from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be for ag industry vendors, agriculture education, tractor driving, FFA trivia and the social hour will be from 5-6:30 p.m. A pass for Friday will cost $10.

Southern Bank is hosting a social hour Friday immediately following the classes.

“Saturday will look different,” Fuller said. “It will be open to the public from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be vendors in the main part of the coliseum. The cost for adults to come in is $5. Those proceeds will go to our local 4-H programs here in Butler County. There will be 4-H activities going on all over the building in some of the classrooms. What better way to find out what 4-H has to offer than to experience it.”

The Salute to Ag Dinner at the coliseum will be exclusively for the agriculture industry. The tickets will cost $60. The dinner is taking the place of the luncheon from years past.

“We will be presenting the awards that were given in the past,” Fuller said. “One of the interests brought up from the agriculture community is they wanted to have a Q&A session with legislators. The dinner is being provided by Tasteful Creations.”

Fuller credits Kathryn Clark with being the momentum behind the relaunch of the event.

“I remember her telling me as a young child the expo was something she really looked forward to. How many people get to rekindle their childhood’s fondest memories? So we are asking the farming industry to help us reconnect this event back to where Southeast Missouri history is rooted.”

Clark is a member of the extension council, an agriculture teacher at Poplar Bluff High School and the wife of a farmer.

Two of the ways organizers are trying to reconnect farmers are the educational programs and vendors.

First, farmers and ranchers will get to attend numerous education classes as they pertain to the farming industry, Fuller said. This also includes those who work with livestock.

“Friday will be a day jam-packed full of classes,” he said.

Second, Fuller said, “our vendors in the agricultural world were not getting the return as they see the farmers come less and less. This helps local businesses reach out to farmers without having them come through doors or traveling long distances to build relationships. With the world changing so quickly, we want to provide some of the latest information as possible.”

The first change was making sure the vendors serve the agriculture community, he said.

“In the past, it had been open to those that could be traced back to agriculture, but some of them did not necessarily serve our farmers and ranchers,” Fuller said. “We wanted to make sure we tried to get vendors who are directly providing services to our local farmers and ranchers. We have reduced the number of booths to allow for better foot traffic flow and increased some of the booth sizes for some that purchased certain bundles.”

The number of education classes available will range from row crops, horticulture agronomy, farm management, livestock, technology and specialty farming. Each division will have several classes.

Sponsors are Farm Credit Southeast Missouri, GREENWAY Equipment Inc., MU Extension, Lincoln University and Three Rivers College.

Fuller explained, “We removed the entertainment and beauty pageant from the event. There were generally not many people who came out to watch the entertainment, and the beauty pageant does not line up with the mission of extension. We are here to help educate the community on topics they want to learn.”

All-Access Pass tickets are available and will give a person access to all the activities Friday and Saturday and the dinner later that evening. Tables for the dinner may be purchased for $400, which would be a savings and give them full access to the event. Farmers and ranchers may purchase tickets for Friday classes for $10 each, or get the full experience is $60.

For tickets or additional information, visit an Ag Connect vendor before the event or call 573-686-8064.