Like many consumers, I’ve taken to doing most of my holiday shopping online. It’s more efficient than wandering the local mall waiting for commercial inspiration to strike and usually more economical.

Spending last week at my first Agritechnica in Hannover, Germany, proved to be both a unique and familiar experience. Walking the expansive fair grounds (46 miles in 6 days according to my step-counting app), there was no shortage of innovations — large and small — to catch the eye of more than 450,000 attendees.