Why Farmfest 2026 Matters to Expo 2031 Minnesota USA

August 3, 2026

Farmfest is where Minnesota agriculture comes together. Expo 2031 is an opportunity to take Minnesota agriculture to the world.

As Expo 2031 Minnesota USA prepares for the first A1 International Horticultural Exposition in the United States, agriculture has an important role to play in shaping what we build—and the story Minnesota tells to the world.

That is why our participation in Farmfest 2026 matters.

Farmfest brings together the people who make Minnesota agriculture work: producers, agribusinesses, commodity organizations, equipment manufacturers, technology companies, educators, policymakers and rural leaders.

For Expo 2031, this isn't simply an opportunity to introduce the Expo.

It is an opportunity to listen, build relationships and invite Minnesota agriculture to help shape what comes next.

Putting the Future of Agriculture Into the Field

Expo 2031 is developing an Agriculture Innovation Zone designed to put emerging agricultural technologies into operation—not simply on display.

Imagine visitors watching autonomous equipment work a field.

Seeing precision agriculture and robotics in action.

Experiencing new approaches to soil health and water management.

Exploring advances in seed genetics, controlled-environment agriculture, food production, renewable fuels and the agricultural bioeconomy.

And, importantly, meeting the producers and innovators putting these technologies to work.

The Agriculture Innovation Zone can become a living laboratory for the future of agriculture—and Minnesota is uniquely positioned to host it.

Capital + Technology + Markets

Our ambition extends beyond creating a great visitor experience.

We believe Expo 2031 can become an economic development platform for agriculture built around three propositions:

CAPITAL. TECHNOLOGY. MARKETS.

Capital means bringing companies, investors and economic development opportunities into Minnesota's agricultural economy.

Technology means giving producers, researchers and companies a place to demonstrate innovation under real-world conditions.

Markets means connecting Minnesota agriculture with customers, companies, governments and partners from across the United States and around the world.

For six months in 2031, Minnesota can become an international meeting place for conversations about how we grow food, manage land and water, deploy technology and build a stronger agricultural economy.

Built With Agriculture, Not Just For Agriculture

One of our most important objectives at Farmfest is listening.

Expo 2031 should not design its agriculture program and then ask the agricultural community to participate.

We want Minnesota agriculture at the table while we build it.

That means engaging producers.

It means working with commodity organizations and cooperatives.

It means involving equipment manufacturers, seed companies, technology providers, financial institutions, researchers, educators and rural communities.

And it means asking a fundamental question:

If Minnesota had the opportunity to show the world the future of agriculture in 2031, what should we show them?

Farmfest is an ideal place to begin that conversation.

From Minnesota's Fields to a Global Stage

Farmfest demonstrates something powerful every year: agriculture is best understood when people can see it, touch it and experience it in the field.

Expo 2031 can build on that idea at an international scale.

Our opportunity is to create a place where a producer can demonstrate a new technology in the morning, discuss it with industry leaders in the afternoon, connect with international delegations and investors, and have that story communicated to audiences around the world.

That is much more than an exhibition.

It is a platform for economic development.

It is a platform for technology adoption.

It is a platform for workforce development.

And it is a platform for telling the story of American agriculture.

The Road to 2031 Starts Now

2031 may sound distant.

For an international exposition and for the agricultural partnerships required to build something meaningful, it is right around the corner.

The relationships we begin building today will determine what visitors experience five years from now.

Farmfest 2026 represents an important step in that journey.

We are coming to Farmfest to introduce Expo 2031.

But more importantly, we are coming to invite Minnesota agriculture to help build it.

Because when the world comes to Minnesota in 2031, agriculture shouldn't simply be part of the Expo.

Learn More

The Agriculture Innovation Zone at Expo 2031

Agriculture should be one of the reasons the world remembers it.