"We're in America's Dairyland, Mark Clarke says, “World Dairy Expo, as far as I'm concerned, belongs in America's Dairyland." Randy Mouw traveled from his dairy farm in Fennimore to visit the expo. "There's a lot of new stuff here,” he says, “It's always intriguing."

With 600 cows at home, Mouw says having a world class show nearby has its advantages. "I think it's good for the state. I think it's good for the producers because you get so many more different companies here and so much more that you're able to compare and contrast and look and see what will fit your needs."

Expo general manager Mark Clarke says the show has more companies wanting to display than space for them, which means it can offer the tens of thousands who visit the best of the best in technology and education. "You can see everything is technology-oriented, and it's technology for the better, trying to make us.” And, Clarke says, more environmentally friendly. The dairy industry in Wisconsin is estimated at more than $25-billion.

But, milk prices have plummeted in recent months. Still, Clarke says producers will find value in what the expo has to offer. "You can come here and not drop a lot of money, but you can learn something, talk to a specialist, talk to some of the industry people that can just give you some ideas or suggestions to take back to your dairy and incorporate them into your practice or into your management style."

Or, simply stay ahead of the curve by planning ahead. ”Agriculture is a 4 year, 5 year process. You gotta look down year 4-5 years, what is it you want to be doing, where are you going, and this year isn't just this year." The expo runs through Saturday, each day it's from nine to five, at the Alliant Energy Center. Daily admission is $8.