This is one of the many John Deere harvesters that will be on display at the farm show.

DIXON, CA (MPG) - For 59 years now, the Colusa Farm Show has meant one-stop shopping for all farm services and a great excursion for those entering the ag field. The event showcases and acquaints agriculturists with the latest in modern farming equipment and techniques including robots and drones. It is attended by farmers, ranchers, and ag workers from all over the world. It is February 6 - 8 this year.

There will be more than 300 exhibitors and vendors plus free admission and free parking. There are also food and coffee vendors for those who will explore it all.

One of those 300 companies participating is from Dixon: Pacific Southwest Irrigation that actually has five offices. With 20 years of business experience, they maintain a diverse inventory and services for drip irrigation systems which are widely used to irrigate trees and vines.

They serve farmers with custom-fit solutions that help keep farms efficient and thriving through their Fieldman Irrigation System Designers. They will go out to farmer’s locations to help determine the proper application and selection of products saving valuable time from trips back and forth, according to the company website.

“It’s a good resource for us,” said Hunter Kett from Pacific Southwest Irrigation’s Dixon office. “We can reach out to a lot of people because it’s such a large agricultural hub. We let them know we’re here to help them out and irrigate.” He reported that people come from all over the Sacramento and Northern California area.

“I enjoy talking to people and explaining [our services] and talking about their needs, the products, and the industry in general,” he said.

It may look like a carnival ride, but this is a hedger which takes off the tops of trees as simply as a front yard bush gets trimmed.

In addition to several local farmers, the Dixon High School Future Farmers of America will also be among the show’s participants.

Arriving by bus loads, FFA students will explore huge tractors that can navigate miles of crops, chop the tops of dozens of trees, and corral millions of walnuts, which will reduce harvest costs and time to keep California ranking first in the United States for agricultural cash receipts.

Dixon’s FFA Advisor Marcus Tanaka, will be attending with several Dixon High School ag students.

“Most of them will be surprised at the magnitude and scope of the types of machinery they will see. I don’t think they realize the many machines used for all the different applications,” Tanaka said.

Agriculture Education is a hands-on learning approach within Career Technical Education elective credit-bearing courses. Students must be enrolled in Ag to be enrolled in the National FFA organization. It was established in 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri, by a group of young farmers with a mission to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population.

Al Lindgren, formerly of Dixon, flies in from Tennessee for the week to demonstrate welding techniques and often captures the interest of many FFA students. Lindgren started welding when he was a 7-year-old with the help of his welder father in Napa. He will be in the large MJB Welding Supplies booth.

At Dixon High, there are other Ag courses offered besides Welding such as Woodshop, Agricultural Biology, Soil Chemistry, Floral Design, Vet Science, Food Sciences, and Horticulture.

The Colusa fairgrounds is located at 1303 10th Street in Colusa. Hours are Tuesday, February 6 and Wednesday, February 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday, February 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (530) 458-2641.