HOWE, Ind. — While next month is usually marked with holiday events, save Dec. 6-8 for the first annual Midwest Farm Expo and Auction, at the Michiana Event Center located in northeastern Indiana, just off the 80/90 Howe/Lagrange Toll Road exit 121 and Indiana State Road 9 at 7605 N SR 9 in Howe.

“We just thought Michigan needed an indoor farm show and thought it would be worthwhile putting it together,” said Expo Coordinator Robert Mishler.

“We will have three days of the indoor farm show and then Saturday the 8th will be the Plato Consignment auction, which we’ve been doing for four years now. We think the farm show and auction will complement each other pretty well.”

Striving to be the largest indoor farm show in Michigan, the inaugural year of the Midwest Farm Expo will feature a wide variety of vendors. Equipment dealers, livestock handling systems, dairy equipment, irrigation companies, beef promotional groups, crop insurance, feed companies and more will all exhibit in the 150,000 square-foot indoor convention building situated in south-central Michigan.

Included with the indoor farm show is a slate of seminars scheduled for that Thursday and Friday. Thursday will be “Dairy Day,” with extension educators from Michigan State University and Purdue University presenting seminars on herd health and efficiency. Lyndon Kelly will also be presenting a seminar on irrigation systems.

Friday morning will begin with a credit-earning seminar presented by Purdue and MSU extension educators Brian Engelking, Bruce MacKeller and Jon Zirkl. Michigan farmers can earn two RUP credits and Indiana farmers can earn PARP credits.

In addition, a special seminar on Friday will feature George Bewley of Bewley and Koday, of Fort Wayne, Ind., discussing estates, passing on the family farm and tax laws.

His presentation is sponsored by Ag One Agency (John Deere Crop Insurance) and Peoples Savings Bank of Fort Wayne.

For those who enjoy life on a small farm, a seminar on generating profit on a small farm and niche farming will be presented Friday evening, when the farm show stays open until 8 p.m.

That Saturday, the annual Plato Consignment Auction will commence at 9 a.m. with consignments being taken up through Dec. 7. This auction will include trucks, trailers, excavating equipment and all types of farm equipment, large and small, and is sponsored by Grogg-Martin & Mishler Auctioneers.

Show hours are Dec. 6 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Dec. 7 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Dec. 8 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission and parking are free and food will be available for purchase.

It’s not too late to secure a booth at the Midwest Farm Expo, too, and sponsorships can be obtained at three different levels.

For more information on the Expo, how to secure a booth, to consign something to the auction or for any other information, contact Mishler at 260-336-9750 or go to www.midwestfarmexpo.com