The golden anniversary of the World Dairy Expo is just seven years away…and Expo manager Mark Clarke is planning for it. “We’re already trying to make plans for the 50th year,” says Clarke. “We’ve got the artwork and the theme done for the 2011 show. So you’re always well over a year out in advance, looking for the next show.”
 

It’s this kind of planning and dedication to the industry’s needs that’s made Expo “Legendary”—which just happens to be the theme for this year’s 43rd edition of the annual extravaganza, Sept. 29-Oct. 3 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. The 2009 show will bring in over 65,000 guests; about 2,700 cattle will be on display, as will some 725 exhibitors…some of whom have been trying to get to Madison for a long time. “Our waiting list is still very, very deep,” Clarke reports. “Over the last couple of weeks (as of mid-August), the phone’s been ringing off the hook with companies wanting to come and participate in Expo, and we’re trying to make space to get everybody in.”

Space has admittedly been a concern for Expo in recent years; the 1995 addition of Exhibition Hall by Dane County, which owns the Center, created another 100,000 square feet of space for exhibitors. But Clarke says they’ve had to continue to be creative on that front. He says, “A lot of people say, ‘Just put up some more tents, and you’d be able to get everybody in’. Well, we can put up tents, but if you put up a tent you take away a parking space, and we don’t want to do that. So we really try to balance that out.”
One of the goals, Clarke says, is to ensure all areas of the industry are well represented. “We don’t want to have 200 liner companies there,” he jokes. And it’s not just an Upper Midwest show; last year, there were exhibitors from 42 states, as well as from Canada. Clarke says there hasn’t been a pattern to the surge of late exhibitor inquiries, but thinks it’s a carryover from the early summer shows across the country. Despite the poor dairy economy, he says, “Exhibitors are realizing that the producers are coming to these shows and they’re still inquiring about purchases and management practice. So, there’s a lot of uncertainty going into this show season with trade shows, and I think they’re realizing that the people are still coming out to see what’s new and exciting in the industry.”
One new addition to this year’s Expo is a revisiting of a tried-and-true concept—the Grazing Pavilion, 48 booths just outside of Exhibition Hall, all manned by companies whose goods are targeted to grazing management practice. Interest has been growing in this lower-input method of dairying, and Clarke says, “What we try and do is we look at where the dairy industry is going, not just here in Wisconsin and not just here in the United States but globally, and when we look at different management practices that are coming about…We did a little research—actually, a lot of research—before we decided to go this area, because this is the first time we’ve ever really had an area on grounds designated just to one particular type of management practice.”
They found a lot of interest, particularly globally: “When you look at other parts of the world, it’s a very, very important part of their management practice. So, we think that it’s going to continue to grow; we’ll see this year after the show what our response was for it, but just from the responses we’ve had, companies wanting to get in there, breeds interested in it, that I think it’s going to be a big success.” In addition to offering “one-stop shopping” for farmers pursuing or interested in grazing management, the Pavilion will display breeds uniquely suited to the practice, along with breed representatives; Clarke names Fleckviehs, Normandies, and Belted Galloways among them.
But the vast majority of the cattle on hand for the show will be the top performers from among the seven major breeds, their owners hoping for the prestige that comes with top honors at Expo. Clarke likens Madison to the Oscars of the dairy industry, and says the reputation of Expo’s shows has reached the point where they only attract the most elite cattle in North America. “To win there, that’ll really give you some good marketing potential for those particular animals,” he says, but adds an exhibitor doesn’t even need to win. “You look at animals that place in the top ten or the top twelve, or even in the top half of their class—these are really the best of the best. So just to make it to the grounds is one thing, but then to sit in the top of your class is something that you really should be proud of, and we’re proud of the quality cattle that the dairy producers do bring to Madison every fall.”
Meanwhile, the kids will be doing their best as well; in addition to the Junior shows, the judging contests—intercollegiate, postsecondary, 4H and FFA—are scheduled to kick off the week.   “That’s something that’s really getting a lot of interest and getting some steam,” says Clarke. “We’re excited to have the kids here; they’re the future of the dairy industry.” And later in the week, on Wednesday and Thursday, the Center will be full of wide-eyed fourth graders, as Expo opens its doors to children from Madison and surrounding school districts.
Clarke says they’re proud of that part of the program.   “These are a lot of city kids that usually don’t get exposure to the farming industry, the dairy industry, and get that close to this quality of cattle,” he says. Different stations set up around Expo add to the learning experience, and the milk and cheese samples are what make education fun! “We’ll actually bring them through the parlor and turn the vacuum unit on, let them stick their finger into the milking machine and their eyes just light up,” says Clarke. “For a majority of these kids, they’ve never experienced anything like that.”
There are plenty of educational activities for the adults, too. From Tuesday through Saturday, twice-daily seminars from Tuesday through Saturday will cover such topics as communicating with the general public, employee relations, forage quality, and genomic selection; there will also be “virtual tours,” visually depicting dairy operations and practices around the world. A number of other information seminars are scheduled on issues like animal health and USDA-Farm Service Agency beginning farmer loans.
But you can also learn a lot just by walking the show and making new acquaintances, or renewing old ones. Clarke says, “You don’t need to come to Expo with a million dollars in your pocket. There’s a lot of things that you can see—take in the educational seminars, talk to the exhibitors, and learn something and take that back to your farm, and put that management practice into play without having to spend a ton of money.” He calls Expo “the gathering place for the dairy industry… you walk around there just to see the people and the camaraderie that’s going on. People that only see each other once a year; it’s really neat to see that.”
And the Expo, he predicts, will continue to come back every year to Madison.   “We’re always working with the county and the state on how we can improve the facility,” says Clarke. “We think World Dairy Expo belongs right here in Wisconsin; we’ve got a great relationship with the city and the county, and we’re trying to do everything that we can to make sure that the Alliant Energy Center fits our needs. We’ve got a great thing going right here, so we’re going to try and make sure we stay right here in Wisconsin.” For the 44th Expo…and the 50th…and beyond!