Attendance at the annual meetings of the Iowa State Dairy Association was so poor during the first years of this century that a dairy show was added to the meeting in order to attract interest. As Association President W. B. Barney put it, farmers would come a long ways away to see a good cow, but would stay home and pitch hay rather then listen to someone explain a cow.

The first of these dairy shows was held in Cedar Rapids. Hugh Van Pelt at Chautauqua Park in Waterloo organized the second, in 1910. More than 40,000 people attended the event, which included livestock judging, displays of farm machinery, sideshows and a merry-go-round.

The 1910 Waterloo show was such a success that it became a regular event. The first permanent buildings on the present site were built in 1912. After the addition of the National Belgian Horse Show in 1919, the dairy show became a showplace for all kinds of farm animals. These dairy shows eventually developed into the annual National Dairy Cattle Congress, held each September on this site. The grounds are used for a variety of activities throughout the year.