Ag Expo marks 25 years

PORTALES — The Portales Ag Expo turns 25 this month.

The event is to be held March 24-25 at the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds.

Current Clovis economic development director Chase Gentry, who was the executive secretary of the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce at the time the event began in 1992, said in Ag Expo's first year, it had six board members, but "it all came together by everyone working together, the city, the county."

He said one of the event board members had gotten the idea from going to a dairy show in California, so board members began reaching out to the dairy industry and vendors at trade shows, and the rest is history.

The event is a tribute to Floyd McAlister and Dallan Sanders and their passion for helping the community, Gentry said of two of the original founders.

"We were able to build a really successful show that first year. It was fun," he said. "It's hard to believe it's been 25 years. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday. The cool thing about it is the state ag trade show, and it's in Portales."

Portales chamber Executive Director Karl Terry said this year's Ag Expo will include an anniversary celebration at noon March 24 in the Jake Lopez Building to be held in conjunction with the annual Portales Rotary Club pork chop lunch.

Terry said pictures of past expos will be provided as well as the ball caps that have been made each year for the event. He said some of the event founders will be at the celebration, such as Gentry.

"To celebrate recognizing how important agriculture is to our community," Terry said of why the Ag Expo is held. "It was founded for two reasons - it gave the city an event that injected some revenue into the middle of the winter, but it also gave ag producers opportunities to learn about new equipment and new techniques. I think that's one thing that we have always stayed strong with is the education part of it."

He said the expo has always been able to bring ag educational programs to the event for little or no cost, because of the event coordinators' relationship with the New Mexico State University extension program.

"This doesn't happen in every county. We're special in that we've been able to have this expo in our county," Terry said.

Ag Expo schedule

The following is the schedule for the 25th annual Portales Ag Expo to be held March 24-25 at the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds:

March 24

• Preparing for sugarcane aphid in 2017: What did we learn in 2016?: 9:30 a.m. in the Art Room in the Idsinga Pavilion

• Creative Touches: 10 a.m. McAlister Room in the Jake Lopez Community Center (JLCC)

• Alternative Crop Options for Eastern NM: 11 a.m. in the Art Room in the Idsinga Pavilion

• Mounted Shooting Demonstration: 11 a.m. at the Outdoor Arena

• Antique Tractor Parade: 11 a.m. at the Midway

• Chuck Wagon Luncheon: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the JLCC

• 25th Anniversary Ceremony: Noon in the JLCC

• Evaluating Dryland Corn Production in Eastern NM: 1 p.m. in the Art Room in the Idsinga Pavilion

• Mounted Shooting Demonstration: 1:30 p.m. at the Outdoor Arena

• Antique Tractor Games and parade: 2 p.m. at Midway

• NMSU Aces High — Value Added Beef Calf Program: 2 p.m. in the Art Room in the Idsinga Pavilion

• Improving Quality of Life Through Plants: Gardening and Food Production in Eastern NM: 3 p.m. in the McAlister Room in the JLCC

• Listening Session with NMSU and NMDA: 3 p.m. in the JCLL

March 25

• Tumbleweed Classic Cow Dog Trial: 8 a.m.-all day at the Outdoor Arena. Continues through Sunday

• DIY Horsemanship: 10 a.m. in the Idsinga Pavilion

• It’s a Piece of Cake: 10 a.m. in the McAlister Room of the JLCC

• Antique Tractor games: 10 a.m. with parade at noon at Midway

• Managing Horse Health with Dr. Potts: 1 p.m. in the Art Room in the Idsinga Pavilion

• DIY Horsemanship: 1:30 p.m. in the Idsinga Pavilion

• Vitamin Rich Vegetables Straight from Your Garden and Cloning Your Own Vegetables: 1:30 p.m. in the McAlister Room of the JLCC

• Antique Tractor Parade: 2 p.m. at Midway