Ag Expo on its way

File photo

Along with multiple presentations on a variety of agricultural subjects, the annual Roosevelt County Ag Expo also has a variety of vendor booths during the two-day event.

Staff report

The New Mexico Ag Expo will be held at the Portales fairgrounds March 18-19.

The event will feature exhibitions, seminars, food and several vendors and non-profit booths.

One event that is returning to the Ag Expo on Saturday, according to Portales Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karl Terry, is the antique tractor games, in which area tractors from the 1920s to the 1960s compete in events like the balance beam and the “slowest tractor contest.”

“Some of them are tractors that have been on family farms here in the area for generations,” said Terry. “Some of them that are out there on those tractors are actually on their dad’s tractor or their granddad’s tractor.”

Kathy Hollmann-Ellsworth, a world champion mounted shooter, will be providing a demonstration of mounted shooting with other riders on March 18.

In addition to the demonstrations, there will be many opportunities for residents to enjoy a unique food experience.

According to Terry, there will be “possibly three chuck wagons set up on the grounds, and they’ll be making stuff in the Dutch ovens and will have cowboy coffee on the campfire, so people can come see how agriculture was done really early on.”

There will also be a porkchop luncheon provided by the Portales Rotary Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“That is one of the best meals you’ll have all year,” said Terry.

The Tumbleweed Classic Cow Dog Trial will be returning after an absence last year.

According to Terry, the event is a series of trials for dogs who work with cattle, and will feature working dogs from throughout the area. The event will start 8 a.m. Saturday and will continue into Sunday after the Expo has ended.

Seminars will be running throughout the weekend, with this year prominently focusing on horses.

According to Terry, some of the equine-focused events include a seminar on training horses for multiple disciplines presented by Suzette, Chelsea and Sterling Howard of Melrose, and “Building a Bucket ‘First-Aid Kit,’” presented by New Mexico State University Extension Horse Specialist Jason Turner.

In addition to the horse-related seminars, there will be a number of other subjects, including “Consumer Landscape Management” by Traci Franklin of Traci’s Greenhouse in Clovis and “Creating Miniature Gardens, Smart Pots, Drought Tolerant Plants and Back-to-Cool Plants” by Curt Jaynes of Garden Source.

There will also be a large amount of booths from businesses and non-profits alike, according to Terry, including agriculture equipment vendors, seed dealers, insurance companies, the Game and Fish Department, the NMSU Agricultural Science Center and both of Portales’ children’s homes.

The Ag Expo will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. It is free for the public to attend.