A visit to World Ag Expo 2006.

In recent history, there have been some rumblings that California's state government has paid little attention to the state's agricultural industry. So it was good news at World Ag Expo in Tulare, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the show for the second time since he was elected. The show also drew several other state government officials, including A. G. Kawamura, Secretary of Agriculture. and Mike Chrisman, Secretary of Resources. Hopefully, their visits indicate that state government is becoming more interested and supportive of agriculture.

The annual World Ag Expo has often been used by manufacturers to introduce new equipment, and this year was no exception. JCB introduced its latest and largest model in the Fastrac agricultural tractor line, the Fastrac 8250. This new model has a 280 horsepower engine and features the company's new V-Tronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) with infinitely variable speeds between 0 and 42 miles per hour. With the introduction of the 8250, the Fastrac's agricultural tractor line now has four models ranging from 155 to 280 horsepower.

Krone introduced their Big X forage harvester with an available Mercedes Benz V 12 diesel engine with 780 horsepower. The company also featured its new EasyCollect corn header which is available in 8-, 10-, and 12-row models. The header's unique design significantly reduces the number of parts and weight in comparison to competitive units. The header is also available for competitive machines.

The Optimizer, a one-pass tillage tool from Tillage International is eligible for cost sharing by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for reducing air pollution. The unit has been shown to reduce both dust and engine emissions.(See related story in the January/February issue of Implement & Tractor.)

AutoFarm, a major manufacturer of centimeter-accurate Global Positioning System (GPS) tractor steering systems, introduced AFTracker, a new system that can steer an implement separately from the tractor to which it is attached. The major market for this system is expected to be in the Midwest, in areas where minimum tillage farming practices are common.

Artex, the Canadian manufacturer of manure handling equipment, introduced a new 8-wheel, 9600-gallon liquid manure spreader tank that is steerable. Considering the numerous dairies in California's San Joaquin Valley that milk thousands of cows, this unit should fit this California market.

For the first time, all major agricultural tractor tire manufacturers were at the show. Apparently, their participation was meant to encourage farmers to buy US produced agricultural tires. As evidence, the Titan stand had a large sign listing all the offshore tractor tire manufacturers. Camoplast, whose purchase of the Caterpillar rubber track plant several years ago made it the largest manufacturer of rubber tracks for agricultural tractors, was not to be outdone, however. The company's stand featured examples of the various rubber tracks made by Camoplast.

California is the major producer of specialty crops such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables, and there was plenty of equipment for specialty crop growers to examine.

Vegetable growers showed interest in several new machines. Walker Equipment Sales of Gonzales, California, introduced a new double row transplanter from Mechanical Transplanter Company. Solex, a Dixon California farm equipment distributor, introduced a new transplanter from Cheechi and

Magli for 80-inch beds and a shredder from Falc that covers three 80-inch wide beds and folds for turning on tight headlands and for transport. Representatives of Falc said the company is testing a folding mulcher that covers three 80-inch beds, which hopefully will be at next year's show.

Solex also introduced the Robo Crop cultivator guidance system which scans four to five rows and guides the cultivator independently of the tractor. This allows higher cultivation speeds and closer cultivation to the crop, thus reducing weeding costs. Ramsey Highlander, a Gonzales harvester manufacturer, introduced their latest spinach harvester which uses a rubber track chassis and has additional cleaning equipment built into the harvester.

The major tractor manufacturers also showed tractors for specialty crops, with particular emphasis on orchard and vineyard tractors. Jackrabbit, a local manufacturer of specialized orchard equipment, introduced the company's LoJack orchard cab for John Deere 5525N tractors. The LoJack cab with brush guards is 14 inches lower than the John Deere factory cab. The company actually cuts down the factory cab and saves and utilizes the John Deere hardware. Jackrabbit expects to have an orchard cab available for 600 series John Deere tractors by the end of 2006. For smaller growers and sundown farmers, the Montana Tractor stand showed the entire range of Montana tractors.

Over the years, the show has changed, just as California agriculture has changed. The show's early years had only a few exhibitors whose market was the California dairy industry. However, as the state's dairy industry grew and California became the top-producing dairy state, the number of exhibitors targeting that industry also grew. It is interesting now to see other states exhibiting at the show in an effort to attract California dairies to their states, emphasizing friendlier business climates and lower costs than in California.

The mid-February weather is always a question at the mostly-outdoor World Ag Expo, just as it is with the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament held nearby in Monterey County. And it is true that rain has fallen on previous shows. However, this year the weather was about as good as it gets--clear sunny days and moderate temperatures.

I hope you can join me in Tulare for the 2007 show next February!