WIU Ag Mech Club Farm Expo offers networking, shopping opportunities

MACOMB, Ill. — Avery Isringhausen knows firsthand how the connections made at the WIU Ag Mech Club Farm Expo can be helpful.

“Last year, my family attended the show. We made a connection with a lady who makes T-shirts and she’s been making our family farm’s T-shirts,” said Isringhausen, a senior majoring in agriculture education at Western Illinois University.

Isringhausen is the vice president of expo operations and the coordinator for the WIU Ag Mech Club Farm Expo, the largest student-run farm show in the United States.

This year, the WIU Ag Mech Club Farm Expo will be presented Feb. 8-9 at Western Hall in Macomb. Show times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

“We are really excited about the new technology and the companies that we have coming to the expo this year. We will have companies exhibiting drone application and other technology. We have Martin Tractor, who will have the newest in ag machinery,” Isringhausen said.

“There are also several livestock and crop companies there to sell their products and talk to people and get to know their interests and needs.”

Booth space still is available for people and businesses interested in exhibiting at the show.

“We will be taking booth registrations through Feb. 6, the day before move-in. My job right now is contacting vendors and potential vendors to get as many exhibitors as we can,” Isringhausen said.

She said she has been encouraged by the connections she’s made with vendors. This is her second year of working to organize the show.

“I love getting to know all the vendors. I communicate with them through email most of the time so I don’t know much about them until they check-in, then I get to meet them and talk to them,” she said.

“I haven’t talked to any of them who haven’t been kind and encouraging. They love to talk to us and interact with us.”

Isringhausen said she understands the importance of cultivating relationships to keep vendors returning to exhibit at the show.

“When you build those connections is when you can make sure that they come back next year so developing those relationships connects them to Western and brings them back every year,” she said.

Vendors for this year’s show range from ag equipment and technology businesses to livestock equipment, products and services, to products and services for the home.

“We like to advertise it as a fun family event, so there’s pretty much something for everyone there. We will have activities for kids, as well. It’s enjoyable for anyone of any background and for all ages,” Isringhausen said.

She stressed that the event also presents the chance for her fellow WIU students to meet and talk to potential employers in a low-pressure environment.

“I know that members of the Ag Mech Club like to walk around and talk to the vendors. It is a great way to make contacts for internships and future jobs,” she said.

With many booths showing off new technology for both crops and livestock, the event also gives students ideas to use on their own farms.

“We have a lot of students here in the ag program at WIU who have their own family farms that they want to return to, so getting to talk to people like Martin or the drone companies is useful for them and something they can take back and use on their own farms,” the expo coordinator said.

Isringhausen, from Vandalia, said she was inspired to go into the field of agriculture by her father.

“I grew up in town, but my dad grew up on a farm in Jerseyville. He worked for South Central FS and for Total Grain Marketing. He was a seed salesman and he operated the elevator at Mulberry Grove,” she said.

“I loved seeing him love what he did, so when I got into high school, I joined FFA. My FFA adviser, Mandy Totten, told me she thought I would be a really good ag teacher and she gave me some resources. I decided to attend Western and pursue that degree.”

At a Glance

What: 2025 WIU Ag Mech Club 53rd Farm Expo

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb.8; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9.

Where: Western Hall, 1051 West University Drive, Macomb, Illinois.

How Much: Admission to the event is free.

More Information: https://tinyurl.com/AgMechShow or call 309-298-1080.