Published on July 8th, 2022 📆 | 5323 Views ⚑
0Farm Technology Days kick off next week in Loyal
LOYAL, Wis. (WEAU) -Every year thousands of people travel from all around to visit Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. This year the three-day event is calling Clark County home.
Out of this field just south of Loyal, a city of tents is springing up complete with street signs.
To get to this moment, volunteers have been working for three years.
âWe started with two people with the discussion, and now we have somewhere between 24 and 28 people on our executive board,â said Chuck Rueth, the executive chair for Farm Tech Days. âIt takes an army to build it.â
As they prepare for next weekâs event, Rueth said so far, everything is on schedule.
This yearâs show is expected to feature hundreds of exhibitors, field demonstrations and a space dedicated to activities for youth.
For one of this yearâs hosts, holding the event is something heâs hoped for years.
âDifferent people have different dreams,â said Dennis Roehl, the owner and operator of the host farm: Roehl Acres. âThis has always been my dream to host Farm Technology Days, to have everyone come to our farm and actually be part of all of this--I think itâs the greatest thing ever.â
Dennis and his family have called their farm in Clark County home since the 1960s when his parents bought it. Today Roehl Acres milks more than 200 cows on 800 acres of land.
As part of the festivities, visitors will get to see their home up close.
âThe farm tours that weâre having are different from most other tours,â Dennis said. âThese are... get off the bus and walk around. Weâre going to be able to feed a calf. Weâre going to be able to check out a robotic milking system and just have a good time.â
As their family prepares to welcome tens of thousands of people from all around to their farm, Dennisâ wife Suzie hopes they get to see all that the area has to offer.
âItâs a beautiful, beautiful county,â Suzie said. âAlso coming to the farm and actually looking at calves and how we care for the animals. That really we take care of everything and get the food to the table for everybody.â
Itâs not just Roehl Acres playing host, Rustic Occasions is also part of Farm Tech Days. Itâs a renovated barn now used for weddings and other special events.
âMy husband and Dennis are first cousins, so thatâs how we got approached to be part of Farm Technology Days, and with what we did with the barn and ag tourism and things like that, what other people could get ideas of what they could do with their property,â said Kim Fricke-Roehl with Rustic Occasions.
With less than a week before the show, the Roehl families said they canât wait to live out the lifetime goal of hosting Farm Tech Days.
For the first time in its nearly 70-year history Farm Tech Days will feature a concert called Farm Tech Fest on Wednesday night. Three different country music acts will participate headlined by Joe Nichols.
Farm Tech Days kicks off on Tuesday, July 12 and runs through July 14.
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