Winter Ag and Construction Expo brings farm tools and policy to Jamestown

The Winter Ag and Construction Expo opens today at the Jamestown Civic Center, running through Friday, Jan. 16, with free admission and seminar programs aimed at Stutsman County producers and agricultural professionals. Exhibit halls are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, and organizers say the event will showcase more and larger machinery along with a new tractor brand exhibit.

“We are expecting more and larger pieces of machinery and a new tractor brand exhibit,” said Lynn Lambrecht, general manager, i3G Media, which produces the event. “And the door prizes this year are fantastic. Farmers can win free seed, inoculants, and other inputs.”

The expo pairs heavy equipment displays and vendor booths with practical seminars that have direct financial and regulatory importance for local farms. Thursday’s program includes a commercial pesticide certification course, a panel discussion titled “Soybean Surplus: Charting the Path Forward,” and seminars on MPCI and USDA programs. Those sessions touch on risk-management tools and federal programs that help stabilize farm income and shape planting and marketing decisions for the coming season.

Friday features the Stutsman County Extension Ag in the Classroom program for area fourth graders, plus seminars on farm retirement and succession planning, the impact of artificial intelligence on farm operations, the 2026 crop market outlook, and commodity elections. Commodity election decisions and crop insurance choices influence farm cash flow and eligibility for programs tied to base acres and yields, making these seminars timely for producers finalizing their 2026 plans.

The Unison Bank Farmers Appreciation Lunch will be served at noon Thursday and Friday, offering another opportunity for local farmers and service providers to connect. Door prizes that include seed and inoculants can reduce immediate input costs for winners, while machinery displays give a sense of dealer offerings and capital investment trends in the region.

For local growers, the expo functions as a one-stop update on regulatory requirements, risk-management options and market signals. The pesticide certification course addresses compliance and worker-safety obligations, while sessions on AI and farm succession speak to longer-term productivity and generational transfer challenges facing family farms in Stutsman County.

As the expo continues through Friday afternoon, attendees can expect hands-on exhibits, targeted seminars and opportunities to discuss program specifics with vendors and extension staff. For many producers, the information gathered here will feed directly into planting, marketing and financial decisions for the 2026 season.