Emily Schubert Ag & Horticultural Building

Imagine over 200,000 people wandering around 320 acres filled with rides, food, barns, games, and demonstrations of all sorts. Welcome to the Minnesota State Fair. A yearly Midwestern gathering of citizens of the northern states to see what Minnesota has to offer, the 4-H projects, FFA shows, and livestock shows among the trade shows presented by universities and businesses across the state. The Agriculture

building hosts the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program. The scientists show off their newest breed of apple, the place where the famous Honey crisp apple got its start. The University shares information about each apple they have including its growing season and the climates best suited for their growth.

Growth is of course the most important aspect of the Agricultural building. The massive pumpkins put on display from farmers across the state demonstrate that. Each squash is specially grown with tender loving care for each plant. Many farmers will select one pumpkin to grow and nourish over the course of the growing season. Risking it all to get the biggest and best pumpkin possible.

Of course, none of these pumpkins resemble the adorably perfect round ones carved for Halloween; they are more along the lines of very fat orange people lying on the beach. Each entry is painstakingly grown. However, the “vine in milk” trick has been designated as a myth amongst growers. The trick that has gotten farmers the best results are spending hours around a single pumpkin each day caring for the vines. They make sure the area is not too damp, sometimes placing large fans out to bring the humidity to the optimal levels.

Creating the best growing conditions is key to any farmer’s life, something agreed upon by all the participants of the plant contest. The rooms in the Agriculture building are filled with the giant pumpkins, perfectly plump tomatoes, brightly colored peppers, and vibrantly purple eggplants all hoping to take home the blue first prize ribbon. The agriculture building is not only for the beautiful vegetation on display, but helping to bring agricultural education to the masses. Booths with information about the truth of agriculture and how important it is to our society are set up with hope that fairgoers will come to learn as well as eat and drink. Education pairs well with … a beer? Yes, it does! The land of 10,000 lakes becomes the

land of 10,000 beers during the hot August week. A refreshing wheat beer with hints of pineapple, a maple bacon lager, or perhaps the classic root beer, all brewed ice cold and ready for consumption. Brewers serve the beer with a story.

The tale of agriculture is something the Minnesota state fair shares so well. Agriculture is a focus of the fair with the livestock shows, the machines, the vegetables, and the barns. The story of agriculture is engrained in all the aspects of the fair, every moment spent sweating through the heat, or wandering through rain to get to the favorite places at the August event that encompasses the hard work farmers put into each and every thing that visitors come to enjoy.

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