COMPLETE SPONSOR INFORMATION FORM
SEPTEMBER 11, 18 & 25, 2020
Dear supporters of the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day,
I hope this letter finds you well. As you may know, the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day Team spent the winter conference season promoting this year’s field day at conferences in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Canada. The interest and energy from farmers was very encouraging and it was great to visit with many of you and connect with growers of all kinds.
Unfortunately, because of Covid-19 disruptions, this year’s in-person field day at Pheasant Run Farm near Cedar Rapids, Iowa will not happen as originally planned. However, our fantastic partners at Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) and The Land Connection (TLC) are committed to ensuring that the show goes on! The in-person field day will be rescheduled for September 2021 at our planned location at Pheasant Run Farm in Iowa (we hope to see you there!)
Of course, we still want to provide growers with the highest quality mechanical weed control info in 2020. To do this, we are continuing our collaboration with PFI and TLC to bring the 2020 Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day online, for a series of interactive, virtual field days. While on the one hand, it is certainly a disappointment not to gather farmers and industry leaders for a day of fellowship and field demonstrations, the virtual field day series will provide the opportunity to connect with far more than the 200 attendees that we have come to expect at the in-person field day. Additionally, the series will be recorded and the videos created will live online into posterity, allowing us to continue to reach folks even after the live virtual events have ended.
This year’s virtual field days will take place on Facebook Live from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on September 11, September 18, and September 25. Sam will travel to Hans Bishop’s farm in central Illinois (host of the 2018 field day) in June to film a series of demonstration videos in the field. Then, during the live virtual field days, Sam and Hans will introduce and thank sponsors, show the field demonstrations, give explanations, and take questions. Unfortunately, it is difficult to include all brands of tools in the virtual field day. We will include as many as possible, but the virtual field days will have to focus less on brands of machinery and more on education and general set-up and use.
The virtual field day schedule is as follows:
1: September 11 — Episode 1: Drone Wars, an exploration of camera-guided cultivation in row crops
2: September 18 — Episode 2: The Awakening, a demonstration of tool set-up and in-shop adjustments
3: September 25 — Episode 3: The First Encounter, precision cultivation in direct-seeded vegetables
Although different from years past, we think this virtual field day series will engage many more farmers from all over North America, and maintain momentum for the 2021 in-person field day in Iowa. As usual, this year’s Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day will be promoted in print media and online through many channels, with the goal of drawing high attendance and giving sponsors maximum exposure.
The Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day is made possible by the strong support of our industry partners, and we ask for your support this year. With the pivot to a virtual field day series, sponsorship levels have changed accordingly.
More Information About The Field Day
Sponsorship Levels
Questions? Contact Cassidy at [email protected] or Sam at [email protected].
On a mobile device? Click here to view the PDF.
Additional Information
SUBMISSION
To complete your sponsorship, you must submit BOTH the Sponsorship Information Form AND payment.
To pay by check, complete the online Sponsorship Information Form and mail your check to 206 N Randolph St., Suite 400, Champaign, IL 61820
To pay by credit card, submit payment online here AND complete the online Sponsorship Information Form.
If you have questions about payment or sponsorship, please call us at 217-840-2128.
DUE DATE
Application and payment are due no later than June 23, 2020.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Notice of cancellation must be made prior to July 1, 2020. All cancellations received by this date will receive a full refund minus a $50 processing fee per exhibit. Cancellations submitted after this date will not be refunded.
LOGO INFORMATION
Please email a high-resolution digital copy of your logo to Taidghin O’Brien at [email protected] to be used in the promotion and execution of sponsor benefits. Preferred file types: .ai, .eps, and .png
Vendor Testimonials
“The Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day is well-publicized and extremely well-organized. It is awesome to be at an event full of curious and serious farmers. I learned a bunch and made some sales and connections. It was definitely worth my time as a vendor.”
– John Hendrickson, Paperpot Transplanter
“The Field Day provides an important forum for farmers, equipment manufacturers, and researchers to share ideas and information. As interest in mechanical weed control resurges, this event will help all who participate to advance the search for improved technology and sustainable cultivation practices. The first Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day in 2017 served as a debut for Tilmor, and helped introduce our company to many small-scale farmers in the Midwest. At the second, larger event in Illinois in 2018, Tilmor benefited from greater exposure, and this had a direct impact on the growth of our online marketplace. Our experience at the field day was nothing short of amazing. All of the work that was put into this day was very apparent. The condition of the host farm, the lectures, the booth displays, and the field demos were all top-notch.”
– Doug Zehr, Tilmor
“For a business, the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day allows for a valuable opportunity to show our equipment working, in a field setting, in a very personal and unique way. From the start, we, as a vendor, were treated very well. Keeping the group on schedule, with enough “face to face time” with the guests, they have the vendor in mind. Thank you to everyone who was involved, we look forward to future events.”
– Josh Zwiep, Mechanical Transplanter
