California Ag Network

Tag: Livestock

  • World Ag Expo® Opens Applications for 2026 Top-10 Products and Seminar Series

    World Ag Expo offers a look into the latest in innovation and education through the return of the Top-10 New Products competition and seminar sessions. Exhibitors and industry experts can now apply to put their mark on the 2026 show.

    The Top-10 New Products Competition at World Ag Expo provides a glimpse into cutting-edge technology and innovation. Open to exhibitors, the innovation contest showcases the latest in a competitive field of new products ranging from groundbreaking technology to simple solutions. Previous award winners have pointed to the Top-10 New Products Contest as a catalyst for success.

    “Since winning the Top Ten New Product Award in 2025, we’ve leveraged that recognition to successfully promote our latest innovation—the Synergy Blower,” shared Seth Richmond, Director of Product at Flory Industries. “Our marketing team has capitalized on the momentum, driving strong industry interest and rapid adoption, both domestically and internationally. The Synergy Blower is now officially launched and in full production, with many new units already at work in this year’s almond harvest.”

    The Top-10 New Products Competition information and application can be found at bit.ly/WAE26TOP-10. Applicants must be exhibitors at the 2026 World Ag Expo and products released anywhere in the world between February 9, 2025 and February 10, 2026 are eligible. The application deadline is October 31, 2025 and winners will be announced in December.

    World Ag Expo also provides a platform for learning through educational seminars. Attendees can enjoy seminars, which are included with general show admission, featuring some of the most knowledgeable professionals in their respective sectors. Each year, tracks include Dairy & Livestock, Technology, Irrigation & Water, Demonstrations, and more.

    Educational seminars are held in the Seminar Center on the southeast side of the grounds throughout all three days of the show. Experts, including exhibitors, universities, government agencies, and more, provide valuable insights, aiming to expand producer knowledge and practices.

    More seminar information and the application is available at bit.ly/WAE26Seminar. The final seminar schedule and speaker information will be available online and in the official show app. The application deadline is October 31, 2025 and speakers will be notified in December.

    World Ag Expo is the largest annual outdoor ag tradeshow in the world. In 2025, the show saw over 100,000 attendees from 49 states and 80 countries. More than 1,200 exhibitors on 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space make World Ag Expo a premium platform for networking, education, and business in one of the most productive ag counties in the United States.

    Limited exhibit spaces are still available. To learn more about World Ag Expo® and request space, please visit https://www.worldagexpo.com/exhibitors/.

    International attendee ticket packages are on sale now. General admission and ag tour tickets go on sale October 1st. Attendees can purchase tickets and plan their visit at www.WorldAgExpo.com.

    For more information, visit www.WorldAgExpo.com.

    The International Agri-Center® is home to World Ag Expo®, February 10-12, 2026 in Tulare, California. An estimated annual average of 100,000 individuals from 60 countries attend World Ag Expo® each year. The largest annual agricultural show of its kind, World Ag Expo® hosts more than 1,200 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of show space. Learn more at www.worldagexpo.com.

  • Two Californians Receive High Recognition at World Livestock Auctioneer Championship

    The week of June 2 was an emotional one for Dean Edge. On Tuesday, he celebrated the life of Blair Vold, the mentor who gave him one of his first chances to sell. By Saturday night, Edge was named the World Livestock Auctioneer Champion.

    Hailing from Rimbey, Alberta, Edge became only the third Canadian to win the contest, which debuted in 1963. In his acceptance speech and comments after, he was quick to credit the support of his family — wife, Jeanine, and children Erin, Lexie and Lane.

    He also shared the spotlight with his fellow competitors.

    Dean Edge selling during the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Dunlap, Iowa

    “This world championship might be connected to my name for the next year, but it’s not mine,” Edge said. “It’s ours. I’m going to be working for us for the next year to the very best of my ability to get out there and promote what we do.”

    As the reigning World Livestock Auctioneer Champion, he will spend the next year driving the custom-wrapped World Livestock Auctioneer Championship pickup all over the country to showcase his talents and promote the livestock industry. Edge can’t wait.

    “I’ve always loved the travel, and especially the chance to see so many livestock auction markets and learn how they do things,” he said. “While they have a lot of differences, they’re all working hard for producers, providing true price discovery and a reliable, transparent marketing method.”

    In addition to the truck, Edge, a 1999 graduate of Western College of Auctioneering, went home with several prizes, including $6,000 in cash and custom items like a belt buckle, champion’s rifle, bronze sculpture, world champion ring, golden gavel and money clip.

    Brennin Jack, Virden, Manitoba, was named reserve champion, and Preston Smith, Imperial, Nebraska, was runner up. Steve Goedert, Templeton, California, was recognized for the highest score in the interview portion of the contest.

    Other top 10 finalists were: Neil Bouray, Webber, Kansas; Justin Mebane, Bakersfield, California; Jace Thompson, Billings, Montana; Ryan Konynenbelt, Fort Macleod, Alberta; Andrew Sylvester, Westmoreland, Kansas; and Barrett Simon, Rosalia, Kansas.

    Tyler Bell, Anderson, Texas, was the Audrey K. Banks Rookie of the Year.

    A one-hour highlight show from the 2025 competition will air on RFD-TV July 2. The 2026 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship will be held June 17-20 in St. Onge, South Dakota.

    Championship sale day at the Dunlap Livestock Auction, Dunlap, Iowa.

    About the Livestock Marketing Association

    The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is North America’s leading, national trade association dedicated to serving its members in the open and competitive auction method of marketing livestock. Founded in 1947, LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada and remains invested in both the livestock and livestock marketing industries through member support, education programs, policy representation and communication efforts.

  • SCFB – 104th Annual Meeting of Members April 19!

    Turlock, Calif., (March 26, 2018) – Stanislaus County Farm Bureau (SCFB) will host its 104th Annual Meeting of Members “Tell Your Story” on April 19. This event serves as our organizations biggest annual fundraiser for programs such as Ag in the Classroom, Stanislaus Safety Seminar, Young Farmers & Ranchers, purchasing livestock animals at the Stanislaus County Fair and college agriculture scholarships. Without the support of our sponsors and guests we could not make these valuable programs a success.

    This year we are excited to welcome our guest speaker, former San Francisco Giants pitcher, cancer survivor and motivational speaker, Dave Dravecky. Dravecky, a Turlock resident, will share his inspirational story of triumph after tragedy.

    The support for this event from our agriculture industry partners over the years has been tremendous and much appreciated! Once again, we have a number of sponsorship and tradeshow booth opportunities available to fit your company or organizations needs. We will also hold a silent auction at the event and are gladly accepting any auction donations.