The things you learn & RECEIVE at trade shows

I have been at an agricultural conference in Minneapolis the past couple days (have never traveled to Minnesoooota before - bucket list item -check!)  and have had a great time meeting people, eating good food, and listening to great presentations.  One cool part about attending conferences such as these is the tradeshows and the FREE stuff that comes along with them. As the economy has gotten worse, many companies are starting to cut many of the freebies given away at tradeshows, however you can still seek out some hidden treasures - not to mention some good information as well.  Did I mention - cute boys?

Well first...I arrived to my hotel room and found this on my bed. Lavendar pillow and sheet spray? Do people perfume their sheets now?  I'm guessing this helps one fall asleep but I think this may come in handy when I'm too lazy to do laundry.

 

I had to sign up for a model Case IH tractor to receive this beauty.  Not to mention, I talked to the very handsome booth attendant. Too bad I was too chicken to go back after the first encounter.  From now on, every time this flashlight helps light my path, his memory will bring a little light to my life. 

Everyone needs a good beef-temperature checker. 

  

A snack for later! Yum!  These chips are unique in that they are fried in a soybean oil that is high-oleic!  What the heck does this mean? Well it's basically a dream for consumers, farmers, and food companies.  It's oil with 0 trans fat and a long shelf life, which is important for food companies. Plus...the soybeans used for this oil are straight from our local soybean farmers! This mix doesn't occur very often in oils.  Interesting!

(Also note, you won't be able to buy this oil until 2011-2010. It's still in testing stages) http://www.plenish.com/

And...finally...this has got to be - by far - my favorite find of the day.  At first glance, I thought - what in the world can I do with a faux credit card looking plastic puzzle piece?? 

To my surprise, it was not a puzzle piece!  It was a jump drive - and it can fit in a billfold! Seriously - coolest thing ever.

2GB on this sucker. Upon opening up this jump drive, I learned a ton about agriculture.  Look at this myth/fact I found!

MYTH: Farming in the United States is controlled by large corporations that care about profits and not about animal welfare.

FACT: Of the 2.2 million farms in the United States, 87 percent are owned by an individual or a married couple responsible for operating the farm. If partnerships – typically a parent and one or more children or other close relatives – are added to this total, 97 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned and operated, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Even those farms that are legally corporations are generally family controlled, with USDA reporting only 7,000 non-family-controlled corporate farms in the United States. (source: animalag.org) 

 Oh the things you learn and find!