Watertown Winter Farm Show is full steam ahead

Vendors, seminars, livestock shows and sales, and great food all to be had at Winter Farm Show

Watertown, S.D. – Feb. 5, 2022 – A long-time tradition in the ag world in South Dakota returns at full bore this year.

The 77th annual Watertown Winter Farm Show will run with all activities scheduled, February 9-12 at the Codington County Extension Complex and Park and Rec Fieldhouse.

The show’s mission is to promote agriculture in the area, said Travis Nelsen, chairman of the Watertown Winter Farm Show. “We serve the Watertown area through the promotion of ag. It’s as simple as that.”

The farm show boasts livestock shows and sales, from a variety of cattle breeds to sheep. It also includes contests for adult and youth divisions of photography and quilts, and a youth Lego contest.

And the booths are back! More than 150 vendors will be on hand after having no vendors last year due to the pandemic. Kelsey Becking, Director of Programming with the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce, said the vendors range from agricultural services and products to the home and family category, including health care and home improvements. “Every aspect of the farm is represented with the vendors.”

And for those looking to satisfy hungry stomachs, the 4-H lunch counter has plenty of choices. A tradition at the Winter Farm Show, it has “awesome” specials every day, Becking said, which might include hot beef and pork sandwiches and fresh homemade pie, plus all the sides: green beans, pasta salad, cole slaw, and beverages. “It’s a full course meal,” she said.

The Watertown Winter Farm Show also includes educational seminars, ranging from financial advisors, legislative information, to hobbies like needle felting, and master gardening, “which is a packed house,” Becking said.

On Sat., Feb. 12, the Bramble Park Zoo hosts a demo with live animals. And the 4-H youth aren’t left out either! On Feb. 12, 4-H youth can participate in the Northeast Calf Show.

The Watertown Winter Farm Show attracts over 20,000 people from every county in South Dakota and all of the surrounding states, Becking said. And it’s not all ag people who visit the Show. “It’s amazing, to realize the people who come to the show.”

“We have great attendance,” Nelsen said. “It shows the amount of support we have in our community for this show.” And after a partial show last year, the board is excited to have a full slate of activities. “It’ll be nice to see everybody back and part of it again.”

Admission to the Winter Farm Show is free. It runs daily from 9 am to 4 pm.

For more information, visit the website WatertownWinterFarmShow.com or call 605.886.5814.

–Watertown Winter Farm Show