5 Takeaways from MAGIE 2024
August 27, 2024 Last week, many folks in the agricultural industry gathered at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, IL, for the annual Midwest AG Industries Exposition (MAGIE). Hosted by the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association (IFCA), this important summer trade show celebrated its 43rd anniversary in 2024. As always, the CropLife/CropLife IRON staff was on hand and here are the five key takeaways we observed while at the event.
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Perfect Weather/Crowds
The first takeaway from MAGIE 2024 was easy – the weather. Normally, since MAGIE takes place in August in Illinois, the temperatures can be brutal. In fact, two out of the last three MAGIE have featured highs in the mid-90s with heat index warnings well over 100 degrees.
In 2024, however, none of this was the case. For the two-day MAGIE show, temperatures on the fairgrounds never topped 80 degrees (with lows in the 50s during the early morning hours). As a result, many attendees did something rarely seen at a MAGIE – wearing long pants the entire event (our staff included!).
Perhaps because of the nice weather, the crowds at MAGIE 2024 were exceptional. According to IFCA, more than 600 attendees at this year’s event were walk-ups – people who decided at the last minute to attend the show. In all, 2,900 folks interested in ag equipment/services were on hand for MAGIE 2024.
Spreaders, Spreaders, Spreaders
At every MAGIE show, there always seems to be that one product category that dominates the exhibitor displays. Last year, ag tech/precision offerings were most common. In several years, self-propelled sprayers (and their assorted accessories) have stood out from the crowd. In 2024, however, a different equipment category took center stage at many booths – spreaders.
As attendees entered the fairgrounds, they were greeted by a new MAGIE exhibitor – Amazone USA. This company featured the ZG-TS Spreader boxes at its booth, mounted on popular pieces of Big IRON from John Deere and Fendt/AGCO. A bit further back, attendees could see for themselves the new NL720 Spinner Spreader from New Leader (more on this unit in a bit). And in the ride-and-drive area, The Salford Group debuted its SS400+ Spinner Spreader, mounted on a John Deere unit.
In addition, the big three equipment makers – Case IH (exhibiting at the Jenner Ag booth), John Deere, and Fendt/AGCO – all had examples of spreaders on display at their booth. So, if spreader options were what you were looking for at MAGIE 2024, you had plenty of products to choose from.
A New Leader ShowStopper
Given how prevalent new spreaders were at MAGIE 2024, it should come as no surprise that one of these units ended up winning the annual ShowStopper Award competition. This award – which has been awarded at each MAGIE show since 2007 – is voted on by attendees to the product at the event that literally “stops them in their tracks to take a closer look.”
For 2024, the ShowStopper Award trophy went to New Leader Manufacturing of Cedar Rapids, IA, for its new NL720 Spinner Spreader. The NL720 chassis-mounted spinner spreader features a 120-foot spread width to provide a 33% increase in productivity over previous models. The unit’s integrated control module offers pushbutton spread width changes, allowing the operator to swap between the full 120-foot swath width and a 70- to 90-foot option for windier conditions or when spreading challenging fertilizer products.
Sprayers Still Draw
Despite spreaders being more dominate among exhibit displays, self-propelled sprayers were still a big draw for many MAGIE 2024 attendees. At numerous places on the fairgrounds, interested customers could enjoy ride-and-drive options in many of the industry’s most popular sprayer models. This included the Case IH Patriot, Miller NITRO, Fendt/AGCO’s Rogator, and John Deere’s Hagie STS.
There was also a newcomer among the sprayer ride-and-drive options. For the first time, European ag equipment manufacturer Agrifac exhibited at the MAGIE show and offered attendees a chance to test drive its Condor sprayer.
It’s Electric!
For several years now, a handful of tractor makers have experimented with electric vehicles for the marketplace. Despite this fact, ag retail-oriented equipment has not jumped onboard with this trend.
Until now, that is.
At MAGIE 2024, Doyle Equipment Manufacturing debuted its new ET Electric Tender Series for customers. The Doyle 24-FT Side Unload ET Tender contains a Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery, also called a Lithium-Ion. This is regulated by an internal Battery Management System, which controls discharge/charge rates, monitors temperature, and protects the battery. According to the company, battery capacity is approximately eight full loads based on 10 batteries with no charging during the day. This capacity can be expanded with the On-Board Charging option. The unit contains a wall charger that will charge three kilowatts per hour at 240VAC or one kilowatt per hour at 120VAC.
“An electric tender eliminates all engine-related issues and expenses, including maintenance, fuel consumption, and fuel quality issues such as water or dirt clogging injectors,” said Casch Doyle, Vice President of Marketing & Technology at Doyle.
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