Hayleage will be the focus of the field demos at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days this year. Chair Ron Zygarlicke says perhaps the biggest challenge this year is procuring the machinery for the demonstrations. Supply chain issues have left many dealers with limited inventory, “Thankfully, we have nine or ten companies have said yes, they will do demos.”
Showgoers will see a show format different from years past. Those spending the entire day will be treated to two different demonstrations in the morning and in the afternoon. Demonstrations in the morning will include mowing, merging and forage harvesting in the mornings (except no mowing on Thursday morning). Afternoon demonstrations will feature raking, baleage baling and wrapping.
Zygarlicke, who does numerous farm shows throughout the year for H & S Manufacturing, is patterning the field demos after a forage show in Pennsylvania. “You will first listen to the rep from that respective manufacturer talk about the machinery and then he will take his machine down the field about 1,000 to 1,200 yards,” he said. “Once all machines have made their run, that is when the education starts. We will drop the rope and allow you to come on and talk to those manufacturer reps.”
Showgoers will also see seed plots sponsored by seed companies right in Tent City near the Heritage Machinery display, another concept Zygarlicke is bringing to the show.
The Heritage display will provide a demonstration of “check-row planting”, was a prominent planting style from the 1870s until the advent of chemical weed control in the mid-1950s. Each day they will cultivate the part of the plot which was planted earlier and do some additional planting.
