No other state can boast having the largest indoor farm show in the country and Kentucky is pretty proud that their little National Farm Machinery Show is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“The National Farm Machinery Show is a point of great pride for Kentucky,” said Lt. Governor Crit Luallen, who took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday marking the milestone. “It has a tremendous impact on our tourism economy as the show brings people from so many different places, but most importantly, it’s a showcase for all the best products and services that agriculture has to offer.”
Luallen still lives on her family farm near Frankfort where they raise tobacco, soybeans, and hay. “I’ve lived there all my life and I understand personally the value of agriculture,” she said. Interview with Kentucky Lt. Governor Crit Luallen
The Kentucky State Fair Board owns and operates the NFMS and president Rip Rippetoe says it has grown from very humble beginnings in 1966. “It literally started with 40 to 50 10-by-10 booths,” said Rippetoe. “We’re now at 860-plus exhibitors and 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space and have a waiting list of people wanting to get in. And it’s because the leadership over the past 50 years has kept it relevant and kept it in the public awareness.”
Rip adds that the Championship Tractor Pull, held in conjunction with the NFMS, celebrates 47 years this year. “It was a grassroots effort that’s grown in to being probably the world’s most recognized competition in terms of tractor pulls,” he said. Interview with Rip Rippetoe, Kentucky State Fair Board
2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
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