New Attraction: Agriculture Horticulture Building’s 75th Anniversary

Details

In the building affectionately known as Ag-Hort, sponsored by Bremer Bank, here’s a sampling of what you’ll find this year:

• Bee & Honey
  • From bees in hives, photos and cross stitch to honey in jars, lip balm, gift baskets, pastries, granola and salad dressing, you’ll bee inspired when you enter the Bee & Honey exhibit area. Don’t miss the Looking Inside the Hive and Harvesting Honey demonstrations daily and the amazzzzzing bee beard demonstration Aug. 31.
• Christmas Trees and Decorated Wreaths
  • Do you agree with the judges’ scoring in criteria such as taper, color/foliage, trunk, craftsmanship, balance and originality?
• Crop Art
  • Unique to the Minnesota State Fair, crop art is made from Minnesota-grown seeds, stems and other plant parts, and the talent, humor and creativity of Minnesotans is on full display.
• College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
  • Get gardening questions answered by representatives from the University of Minnesota’s Master Gardener program; learn how to create a “smart lawn” to save water and attract pollinators; explore an interactive exhibit to learn about the Bell Museum’s 150th anniversary; take a selfie in a canoe; and more.
• The Common Table - Minnesota Eats
  • Centering around six areas of action – Buy Local, Eat Local, Grow Food, Nurture Soil, Promote Justice and Reduce Waste, this interactive exhibit inspires Minnesotans to get connected to the food they eat.
• The DIRT Demonstration Stage
  • Always insightful and informational, The DIRT features presentations each day. Among the many topics to be presented by experts this year - Houseplant Know-How, Minnesota’s Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms, Hydroponics - Gardening in a Bucket, Bee-utiful Lawns, Preserving Your Family’s Garden History, Mums and Fall Annuals Designing, Support Local Farmers – Eat Good Food, and more! Sponsored by DISH
• Farm Crops
  • Oats, flax, turf crop seeds, corn, sheaves of grain and more are judged and displayed – in homage to our state’s agricultural legacy. Plus, marvel at a one-of-a-kind history seed sack collection and seeds that date back a century.
• “Floralpalooza” in the Rotunda
  • Large-scale handcrafted designs created by local florists center on this year’s theme – Spooktacular!
• Flower Competitions
  • The blooms are always beautiful in the flower competitions. This year, “Food & Fun at the Fair” is the theme of the Minnesota State Fair Flower Show for amateur and open class floral arrangers (Aug. 29-30). The State Fair also hosts flower shows sponsored by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (Potted Plant Show Aug. 25-26); African Violet Society (Aug. 25-26); Minnesota Gladiolus Society (Aug. 27-28); Orchid Society of Minnesota (Sept. 2-3); Minnesota Bonsai Society (Sept. 2-3); Minnesota Dahlia Society (Sept. 4-5); and Minnesota State Florist Association (Professional Designer of the Year Aug. 31-Sept. 1).
• Fruit & Wine
  • Amateur-grown apples, plums, pears, crab apples and even the heaviest grape cluster, plus wine by amateurs and professionals, all vie for coveted State Fair ribbons. Check out the showcase of dozens of Minnesota apple varieties.
• Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild
  • The Guild offers flights of craft beer from nearly 100 Minnesota breweries and brewpubs; educational stations showcasing the history, agriculture and expanding industry that supports Minnesota’s craft beer; and daily stage programs that showcase Minnesota craft beer, the Guild and its members.
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture
  • Discover how the work of the MDA touches each of us every single day! Snap a photo, meet a farmer, and learn about agriculture with hands-on activities.
• Vegetable Competitions
  • Joining the largest pumpkins are entries for largest zucchini, onion, potato, kohlrabi, the longest carrot and so much more! Plus, bragging rights are awarded for the state’s finest container gardens, braided garlic, sweet peppers and decorated pumpkins, just to name a few!

Ag-Hort is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (8 p.m. on Labor Day). Specific activity times vary

Additional Resources

• Agriculture Horticulture Building
• Ag-Hort Schedule – coming soon

Directions

Located north of Judson Avenue between Underwood and Cooper streets