Reporter’s Notebook: National Farm Machinery Show Eve

Farm shows are a lot of work. But they give me an energy unlike any other events on our editorial calendar. After National Farm Machinery Show was canceled last year, I’m especially excited for three things while we’re in Louisville this week.

1. Meet people in person

There are several people I’ve worked with for the last four years who I haven’t seen in person for a year or two. At other companies, my contacts have changed since the pandemic and I’ve never met their product experts face to face. People are what make this industry so great, and I’m ready to see them again!

If you’re making the trip to Louisville, flag me down and say hello! Meeting our readers is one of my favorite parts of the job.

2. Introduce my new teammate

Late in 2021 Alex Gray joined the Successful Farming team to cover new machinery. We’ve already logged a lot of miles together traveling to Ohio to see the newest Massey Ferguson tractors and down to Arizona to see Case IH where he went for his first combine ride. This show will be a one-stop shop for him to meet so many people who make equipment and get farmers’ feedback about the trends.

• READ MORE: Born-again farm kid

3. Provide real-time coverage

These shows are exhausting, but no matter how bad my feet hurt at the end of the day, I always end up working until the wee hours of the morning because I’m so eager to get the latest news posted.

When I first started at Successful Farming, I began live tweeting events like this out of necessity. I simply couldn’t take notes fast enough in a notebook. So, like a true millennial, I whipped out my phone. Twitter was an easy place for me to post my notes, pair them with pictures, and get immediate feedback from our farmer readers. It stuck! Now, I can’t imagine covering an event any other way, and I’m always looking for creative ways to bring the show to people who can’t be here in person. Here's my pre-show thread. Give me a follow for daily coverage the rest of this week.

• READ MORE: 10 things you gotta do at the National Farm Machinery Show