Farm show cancels 2021 event, sets 2022 dates

GREELEY — The Colorado Farm Show, held each January for 56 years, has been cancelled for 2021.

The show’s board of directors said that conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated the decision.

“In the best interest of our vendors, volunteers and visitors, the Colorado Farm Show Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the event in 2021 due to rapidly changing conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the organization wrote on its website.

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About 35,000 people attend the three-day show each year. The decision also affects about 300 exhibitors and poses an economic impact for the community.

“We’re heartbroken, but we totally support their decision,” said Amy Dugan, Visit Greeley director with the Greeley Area Chamber of Commerce.

An event of that size translates into about 500 hotel night stays, Dugan said. Lodging, dining, shopping, buying gas — those things amount to a $2.8 million hit to the local economy, she said. 

“This is not going to define us,” Dugan said.

The event will return Jan. 25-27, 2022, the organization said.

“Integrity, history, and financial commitment were the main factors in making this tough decision over the last five months” said Erich Ehrlich, Colorado Farm Show board chair.

The farm show will fund the 2021 scholarship program, the board decided. Scholarship applications are due Nov. 1 this year.