DES MOINES -Farmers were ready to shop at last week's Iowa Power Farming Show, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Heavy snow and blizzard winds kept them off the roads the first two days of the show, but the final day brought clear weather making it possible for nearly everyone to get to Des Moines.
The weather is always a factor with a farm show in February, but with a three-day show there is at least one day when the weather cooperates, said Tom Junge, show manager.
"The people who came on Tuesday were here for a mission," Junge said. "They came because they wanted to see someone in particular. We had people here by 8:15 a.m., but the place had pretty much cleared out by 2 p.m."
Wednesday, Junge got his first call at 5:30 a.m. from someone who wanted to verify that the show would be open.
"Things were a little slow Wednesday, but people started rolling in by 10 a.m. and by 4 p.m. It was hard to get them to leave," Junge said. "Thursday was the largest turnout we've ever had for a Thursday. Our exhibitors left on a high note."
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Matt Gaul and his employees worked from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday so they could get to the show on Thursday. Gaul, his son, Nathaniel, 6, and his employees Levi and Landon Shaw worked their way through Hy-Vee Hall on Thursday morning.
Gaul feeds cattle near Strawberry Point, which received 14 inches of snow.
"The cattle look pretty good," Gaul said. "We bedded everything up, and did a few extra chores to compensate for the weather."
Gaul was looking at tillage tools because he wants to update his equipment.
Gaul and the Shaws said they were impressed by the big manure spreaders.
"People are looking at how they can do things better and faster," Gaul said.
Terri and Tim Blomgren of Stanhope got dug out from the storm. They have a row crop operation and trucking business.
Tim was looking for an auger.
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"All this new equipment, it's hard to fathom all the dollars wrapped up in it," Tim said as he and Terri made their way around Hy-Vee Hall. "There's a lot to look at."
"We always hit the machinery room first," Terri said.
With burgeoning corn and soybean prices, farmers are buying equipment this year, Junge said.
The survey farmers complete when they register for the show indicated that 24.3 percent planned to buy tractors this year, 22.5 percent plan to buy precision ag equipment, 17.8 percent pickups, 16.5 percent farm utility vehicles and 12 percent planters.
