DAIRY ST R March 8, 2014
SPECIAL EDITION
First Section
CENTRAL PLAINS
Dairy Expo March 26-27, 2014
Sioux Falls, SD • Convention Center
Central Plains Dairy Expo bigger, better than ever Three country music stars kickoff event with Roots and Boots concert BY RUTH KLOSSNER Staff writer
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For dairy producers, all roads lead to Sioux Falls, S.D. later this month. Sioux Falls is the site of the ever-popular Central Plains Dairy Expo that continues to grow and improve. It’s entertainment and education for farmers, dairy producers, and the general public, all under one roof. Just when one thinks that the Expo can’t get any bigger or better, the organizing committee has added great new features. This year’s opening night Welcome Reception on Tuesday, March 25, will include the crowning of the 2014 South Dakota Dairy Princess, comments by South Dakota Ag Secretary Lucas Lentsch, the presentation of the South Dakota Producer of the Year Award, and a Midwest Dairy Association dairy video as part of its Be Our Guest program. Hot and cold appetizers, SDSU ice cream, non-alcoholic beverages, and a cash bar will be available at the 5:30 p.m. reception. The Welcome Reception will be followed by the “Roots and Boots” concert that this year features not one, but three, super stars—Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw, and Aaron Tippin. They’ll be on stage together to perform their biggest hits, while telling the stories behind the songs. Between them, the stars have 42 Top 10 singles, 16 Gold and Platinum Albums and 14 No. 1 songs—among them Diffie’s “John Deere Green,” “Pickup Man,” and “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox;” Tippin’s “Kiss This,” “Workin’ Man’s PHD,” “There Ain’t Nothing Wrong with the Radio,” and “Where the Stars & Stripes and Eagles Fly;” and Kershaw’s “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” “National Working Women’s Holiday,” “Love of My Life,” “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer,” and “Cadillac Style.” The trio recently released their first album together, “All In The Same Boat.” It features new songs, covers of other artists, and some new
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
This year’s tradeshow will feature hundreds of vendors displaying dairy-related products and services and will be open to the general public March 26 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and March 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. twists on some of their most famous hits. Welcome reception/concert tickets are provided by sponsors for dairy producers, their families, employees, and employees’ families. Tradeshow exhibitors and sponsors will also receive a limited number of tickets. Others are asked to contact event manager Kathy Tonneson at 218-236-8420 or Kathy@centralplainsdairyexpo.com. The general public can attend the concert (only) for a $10 donation; doors open at 7 p.m. Expo attendees will want to get an early start for the first full day of Expo, Wednesday, March 26—but not as early as last year, as the first event has been moved to 7:30 a.m. (from 6:45 last year). The day kicks off with the Ag Prayer Breakfast. Dan Meers—better known as “K.C. Wolf,” the official mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs football team—
will be the keynote speaker. (See separate story.) Fortified by the hot buffet breakfast and inspirational speaker, attendees will move on to the first of five time slots of breakout sessions on Wednesday. Five time slots of breakouts will also be offered Thursday. “We’re having so many more educational sessions than we’ve ever done before,” Tonneson said. “Fifteen show sponsors are doing educational sessions. Most are presenting the same session both days, but a few are doing different sessions the second day.” Expo 2014 will feature 17 different breakouts, up from last year’s 11 and nine in 2012. A virtual farm tour on transition calf and Turn to TRADESHOW | Page 3