It's Official - 2008 Farm Technology Days is set for Greenleaf
Contract signing sets stage for July 15 - 17, 2008 event at Country Aire Dairy

GREENLEAF, Wis.
January 5, 2006

Green Bay, WI – Contacts were signed today to make the Country Aire Dairy in Greenleaf the official site of the 55th Farm Technology Days in 2008. Country Aire Dairy owners Mike, Tom and Budd Gerrits, were joined by Wisconsin Farm Technology Days officials and representatives of the local planning group in signing the contracts for the state’s largest farm expo.

Selection of the farm in the Greenleaf area marks a return of Farm Technology Days to Brown County for the first time since 1969, when the event was known as Farm Progress Days. “This is another important step in the lengthy process of putting together a major event like this,” said Dick Koltz, who heads the Brown County Fair and is chair of the local executive committee planning the 2008 Farm Technology Days. “After 39 years away, everyone in the local ag community is excited about hosting this event.”

As the state’s larges farm show, Farm Technology Days expected to bring a lot of visitors to Brown County. “From an economic impact standpoint it’s a tremendous event,” said Beth Peters, Director of Sales for the Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau. “The event typically draws more than 100,000 people during its three-day run, which is expected to produce an economic impact estimated at more than $8 million.”

The annual show includes education exhibits and presentations, a “tent city” of vendors, visitors and participants, as well as field demonstrations highlighting the latest in agricultural technology. Farm Technology Days will take place in Sheboygan County in 2006 and in Green Lake County in 2007.

Mike Gerrits says the Gerrits family is excited to host the state’s premier farm show at their 3,000-acre farm. “We’ve put an emphasis on being innovative and incorporating cutting edge technology in our farm operations” Gerrits said. “We were one of the first farming operations in this area to have a milking parlor in the early 70s. Since then, we’ve installed a rotary milking parlor and we’re now looking at other important technology upgrades.”

Besides Koltz, Peters and the Gerrits family, the local executive committee working on plans for the 2008 event include: Deb Barlament, Bayland Buildings; Ken Jenks, Greenleaf Wayside Bank; Stan Kasmerik, area farmer; Margaret Klug, area farmer; Lynn Kroll, Wisconsin Public Service; Jack Krueger, Brown County Board of Supervisors; Marty Nackers, NWTC; Dave Running, UW – Brown County Extension Office (retired); John Schmidt, Progressive Farmers Cooperative; and Dan Schreiner, UW – Brown County Extension Office.

For more information on Farm Technology Days, visit www.wifarmtechnologydays.com or the Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau Web site at www.packercountry.com.

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Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau is the regional destination marketing organization committed to improving the visitor experience and increasing the economic impact of tourism to its communities. For more information call 888-867-3342 or visit us online at www.packercountry.com.