It is State Fair season and, among the Midwestern fairs, Indiana gets the blue ribbon this year. While some states are cutting back or even canceling their fairs, Indiana is expanding its fair to 17 days.

One of the reasons for this is that the Indiana State Fair is run like a business, not like a political prize. State governance over the fair is minimal, and the fair often makes a profit. There is something else that makes the Indiana State Fair stand out: its commitment to agriculture.

Most State Fairs have their roots in farming; but, in Indiana, the promotion of agriculture and 4-H youth remains the guiding principle of the fair. Most of the fair directors have their roots in agriculture, and the decisions that are made are done so with agriculture in mind.

This has helped the fair evolve into a 17 day long, educational experience for Hoosier consumers about how agriculture impacts their lives every day. This kind of full court press of education about agriculture is needed now more than ever. With issues such as H1N1, animal care, food safety, and renewable energy in the news, consumers have a lot of questions and the Indiana State Fair has lots of answers.

A coordinated effort between farm groups, state government, Purdue University and agribusinesses has resulted in a variety of experiences designed to expose the fairgoer to the truth about how food is produced, how animals are cared for, and how energy is the new crop produced by farmers.

Even the heritage of agriculture is honored at one of the most popular spots at the fair: the Pioneer Village. Here you can see, touch, taste and interact with the past in a taste of rural life about which few modern Hoosiers know.

Yet, next to the past is the future, as the latest technology and trends in agriculture are displayed in the Normandy Barn. Standing next to the old wind pump in the pioneer village is a new modern windmill. A computer terminal on the ground lets visitors see how much electric power is being generated by the windmill. Further west on the north side of the fairgrounds is the biofuels learning lab which educates consumers about biofuels and even tells them where, in their local community, they can fuel up with e-85 or biodiesel.

One of my favorite places is the impressive collection of antique Olivers, Allis Chalmers, Farmalls and other tractors on display in the shadow of the newest John Deere combine parked outside the Mac Reynolds building. For those who choose to look, this shows that agriculture has changed and that farming is not the way it was 100 years ago. That is the problem: Will people pay attention?
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman told me she hopes every Hoosier who visits the fair opens their eyes and ears to connect the dots between agriculture and the food, fuel and fiber that is part of their daily lives.

Unfortunately, there are many who will not. Over the past 24 years of covering the fair, I had more than once wanted to grab some dolt by the shoulders and shake them until they woke up to see what was around them.

For far too many, the fair is just about the food, the cute animals and the rides.

I hope that this year more than a few of the estimated 850,000 people that will attend the fair will connect the dots and come away with a greater understanding of agriculture and how it plays a part in their lives.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World.
Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.