During the early summer event held from June 25-27, 1968 the focus was on hay harvesting. The show faced significant challenges due to heavy rainfall, which disrupted activities and made the event notably muddy. A long-time attendee remarked that this was the wettest show they’ve ever experienced, with rain falling for ten days prior, resulting in 1.5 to 2.0 feet of mud in the tent area. Additionally, the forage crop was not at its peak maturity, further complicating the event.
Despite these issues, nearly 400 lots were sold in Tent City. At the end of the show, a local jokester mysteriously drove away with a display tractor, which was eventually found in Missouri. The event took place on The Chippewa County farm (now Lake Wissota Business Park) which included around 120 dairy cows and 700 acres. During the show, an erosion control dam was built, requiring 6,000 cubic yards of soil to construct a 22-foot-high structure to combat soil erosion.
Demonstrations featured a range of hay harvesting equipment, including choppers, balers, rakes, and windrowers, along with other machinery. Additional demonstrations included a saw mill, freeze branding, and tractor tipping, with an emphasis on improved safety through roll-over protective structures.
The show also offered numerous plots showcasing various crops, such as alfalfa (seventeen varieties), oats (thirteen varieties), grass-alfalfa mixtures, barley, spring wheat, strawberries, beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, and spinach. Attendees could tour a new all-electric home, and the women’s program covered topics such as the Fair Packaging and Labelling Act, advancements in food processing, and strawberry varieties for processing. Youth activities included a soil judging contest with seventy competing teams.
Despite the challenging weather, the show attracted an estimated 100,000 visitors, surpassing expectations given the conditions.