The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and over three dozen partner organizations hosted the inaugural Celebration of Modern Agriculture on the National Mall outside USDA headquarters this week, highlighting America’s equipment manufacturers, farmers, ranchers and agriculture innovators on the forefront of science and technology.
More than 16,000 visitors attended the two-day festival and engaged with hands-on educational displays about modern agriculture. This year’s theme, Innovation Enables Sustainability, highlighted the latest technology in American agriculture and how it enables equipment manufacturers, as well as America’s farmers, ranchers, and growers, to sustainably provide for a growing world.
U.S. secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture Jewel Bronaugh celebrated Ag Day at the festival and delivered remarks to the audience. AEM’s Advocacy Team engaged with lawmakers and staff from 50 congressional offices, including tours with U.S. Senators John Boozman, Kevin Cramer, Bill Hagerty, Cindy Hyde-Smith, and Debbie Stabenow. Several leaders from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy also visited the festival.
“AEM was honored to lead our member companies and other industry partners in hosting the inaugural Celebration of Modern Agriculture on the National Mall,” said Curt Blades, AEM Senior Vice President, Industry Sectors and Product Leadership. “Our equipment manufacturers and agricultural associations demonstrated the work our industry is doing to support farmers, ranchers, and growers produce the food that feeds the world. This was a fantastic way to have our elected officials get an up-close look at the equipment that makes this possible, and we continue to emphasize why rural America must be at the forefront of the policies lawmakers support.”
Policymakers, industry stakeholders, and visitors enjoyed a half-mile hands-on display of modern equipment and technology as well as a first-hand view of how the latest equipment, crop inputs, data, and technology are working together to drive agriculture’s tradition of producing more with less. Sprayers, harvesters, balers, tractors, and other agriculture equipment were onsite for a one-of-a-kind festival just minutes from the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
For more information about the event and the exhibitors, visit this page.
AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.