Wanna see the future of food? Then you'll want to head north, State Fairgoer

Does getting old mean running out of new ideas?

Well, it's been around longer than Minnesota's been a state but the State Fair keeps rolling out new plans.

Thursday they released an architect's drawings of what a planned area called the North End may look like. Fair organizers said in a statement the future of food and agriculture will be the theme of the new complex.

In addition to a food and ag building, Fair organizers foresee an amphitheater and outdoor plaza as well as space for traveling exhibits.

State Fair general manager Jerry Hammer says:

“Many factors are contributing to change on a global level, and it’s our job to show where we’re headed. Land use, natural resource availability and population growth are creating massive challenges, but they’re also driving innovative new ways of producing food, and we’ll shine a light on all of it.”

Hammer says the North End will not materialize until 2017 or '18.

Fair officials told MPR News the North End is still a concept and there's no budget or timeline for its completion but said it may approach the $18 million spent on developing the West End Market in 2014.

The same architectural firm that developed the West End – Cuningham Group – released Thursday's renderings of the North End.

Project designer Andrew Tisue told the Business Journal the North End's design was motivated by "the convergence of humanity and nature."