Why tractors, combines and other farming equipment are parked on the National Mall
The National Mall is typically known for its iconic monuments and historic significance, but it has transformed into a showcase of agricultural innovation with big pieces of farming equipment taking center stage.
Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument and the Capitol building are combines, tractors and other large-scale tools.
“Many people don’t realize that outside of defense, agriculture is really the most technologically intensive industry in the world,” said Nick Tindall, senior director of regulatory affairs with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers, which organized the event, is a trade association representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers. The equipment will be displayed through Wednesday.
“All this technology is about doing more with less, and that has tremendous environmental sustainability benefits,” Tindall said.
One piece of technology that stands out, Tindall said, is a massive herbicide sprayer that uses artificial intelligence. It guides the machine so instead of spraying broadly in a field, it sprays in a highly-targeted way.
“It allows us to put the active ingredient where it needs to go and nowhere else,” Tindall said. “It’s important from an environmental standpoint, because you’re using fewer chemicals.”
There are also self-driving vehicles on display.
“When you take the farmer out of the equipment, you can make the equipment smaller, which means you can get into the field sooner when it’s wet,” Tindall said. “It opens up your planting windows and gives you the opportunity to remove people from the application of active ingredients.”
As visitors wandered through the exhibits, they were greeted by enthusiastic representatives from agricultural companies.
Toney Fitzgerald was in the area with her two grandsons visiting the Museum of Natural History, but she said they had to check out the displays up close after they caught a glimpse of them.
“Once we found out we could get into all the different machines, we had to stay,” Fitzgerald said. “My grandson, who is almost four, loves pulling all the levers and doing the steering wheel.”
“It’s just been an amazing day,” Fitzgerald added.