The only thing bigger than the Farm Show at Western Fair District may be the machinery.
With equipment bottoming out at a few thousand dollars to combines tipping the scale at $750,000, the merchandise reflects the capital invested in farming equipment — especially in Southwestern Ontario, the nation’s largest farm belt.
Nearly 330 booths displaying various products and services cover 250,000 square feet.
The show, which continues Thursday and Friday, is an opportunity for people in the agriculture industry to buy, sell and discuss all things relating to farming.
Here are some of the latest pieces of equipment:
- The Kubota M9960 is an everyday tractor for the farmer who wants to reduce his or her carbon footprint. At $45,000, the 99-horsepower tractor will set the average farmer back slightly more than a run-of-the-mill model, but like the rest of the M-series, it is compliant with the latest Canadian emissions standards.
- The Bobcat E60 is a monster machine by the company’s standards. The second biggest piece of machinery produced by Bobcat, the excavator is a six-tonne machine capable of digging trenches up to four metres. The tool, used to make the life of drainage tile installers easier, costs between $60,000 and $70,000.
- The Massey Ferguson 8660 is an imposing presence on the showroom floor. With dual wheels on the front and back for added traction, the 24-tonne, 265-horse-power machine is aimed at up-and-coming 2,000-hectare cash crop farmers and rings in at $225,000.
- The CLAAS Lexion 750 is perhaps the largest piece of machinery on the show floor. The premium combine breaks the bank at $500,000 to $750,000. A combine is so called because it combines the jobs of reaping (cutting), threshing (separating the grains from the plant) and winnowing (separating the grain from the chaff).
- This grain vacuum manufactured by Kongskilde is a must-have for any silo owner or farmers maintaining their own storage. The SUC 1000 connects to a tractor or can be used as a standalone device. It uses a vacuum to suction up feed into a storage bin. This hoover on steroids costs $28,500.
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IF YOU GO
Farm Show
Where: Western Fair District
Hours: Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tickets: $12 at the door, children 10 and younger free
Written by Eric Clement. Published in The London Free Press, March 8, 2012.
