TREMONT — The village's population exploded last week.
About 3,000 farmers from more than 30 states and eight countries outside the United States attended Precision Planting's 17th annual Winter Conference at the company's headquarters just outside Tremont, a community with a population of 2,156 according to a 2016 estimate.
The farmers who came to the conference learned what's new in agricultural technology and were given solutions to farming challenges in five 55-minute sessions and four breakout groups.
Each session and breakout group was simulcast at an event center in Fort Wayne, Ind., Lincoln, Neb., Fargo, N.D., Dumas, Texas, and London, Ontario, Canada, with about 2,000 farmers watching.
The conference stretched over four days, with the same schedule each day.
Bryce Baker, Precision Planting's integrated marketing manager, said it's difficult to access the economic impact the Winter Conference has on Tremont and surrounding communities because most conference attendees come and go quickly.
"A lot of local farmers attend, but I'd say about half are from outside the area and they stay overnight, go out to eat ...." he said.
Some conference attendees arrive by bus.
For example, 35 farmers from Michigan took a bus to the conference this year thanks to a Precision Planting dealer there, Baker said. Another 22 farmers from Wisconsin traveled via bus, again courtesy of a Precision Planting dealer.
Andres Jesus Marra from Rio Cuarto, Argentina, flew last week from his home country to Miami, then Atlanta, and into Peoria. He's staying in central Illinois this week for Precision Planting dealership training.
This is his third trip to the United States, all for business, but his first during our winter. Rio Cuarto, an agricultural and commercial hub in Argentina, has a temperate and humid climate.
"I kind of panicked when I saw the weather you were having earlier this month," Marra said Sunday. "But I can handle these temperatures you're having now."
Besides being a Precision Planting dealer, Marra, 31, an agronomist and third-generation farmer, has a 7,000-acre farm where corn and soybeans are grown on a 50-50 basis.
He said one of the major differences between farming in the United States and Argentina is that 95 percent of farming in Argentina is "no-till farming."
This method of farming reduces soil erosion and works best with his county's climate, he said.
"Our farmers also have smaller equipment to be more cost-efficient," he said.
While farming practices are different around the world, Baker said, there is a common thread.
"Farmers need to know the best ways their crops can respond to their environment, and about other important aspects like nutrient utilization and management," he said.
In addition to Argentina, farmers came to the Precision Planting conference from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, South Africa, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Precision Planting employs nearly 300. The company has a production and shipping facility at 440 Erie Court in Morton, and branches in Brazil and Argentina.
Created in 1993, Precision Planting develops technologically savvy agricultural products and promotes agronomically sound practices.
Precision Planting's headquarters is at 23027 Townline Road, a few miles outside Tremont in unincorporated Tazewell County.
Steve Stein can be reached at 686-3114 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.