With more than two dozen deaths in Missouri and Illinois – and thousands more residents displaced – the human element of the late-2015 flood of the lower Mississippi River tops the list of concerns in its wake. But the rare late-December flood’s impacts on agriculture cannot be underestimated, either, from disruptions to barge traffic, terminals and grain elevators to its upward impact on commodity prices.

An expansion of the venue that will host the upcoming Fort Wayne Farm Show is proving to be a boon for the event’s organizers. “We’ll have a good mix (of exhibitors) in all the spaces,” said Fred Cline, a show director with Tradexpos, which produces the show. “There will be more equipment."