World Ag Expo, Model One shows up

The World Ag Expo in Tulare, California is known as the biggest Farm Show in the US. This is the second year I've attended. This year we brought along the Model One to show off to Matt Finley of Under My Helmet. Thanks for the great write up Matt!! Robert Jordan of Buckland Vineyard Management was there at the show with me and in the photo shown here.

It was as big as I remembered from last year. What I didn't remember was the scores and scores of service vehicles that were engaged in shuffling people from one side of the event to the other. There were dozens of UTVs (aka side by sides), golf carts, and tractors pulling wagon loads of people. It seemed to me in some times that there were more people riding on carts than walking. Saddest part of all is that all of these service vehicles were all gas-powered. All of us pedestrians had to deal with the noise and the pollution from these little four stroke engines. Based on data provided by the EPA, these little vehicles can put off anything from 10 to 34 times more than a car in pollutants. That made the idea of walking around and behind them seem almost wrong. Later in the afternoon, we got smart and snuck in with the Model One and did a little of our own riding. It was incredible how many people came up to us to ask if it was electric. I wasn't sure how they knew but their level of interest and enthusiasm was a great litmus test for what opportunities lie ahead for Barefoot's product, not just at the farm show where we will definitely be displaying our products next year but a long term relationship with California ag.

--Melissa Brandao