The first Four State Farm Show (known then as the Tri-State Farm Show) was held March 1975 at the National Guard Armory in Pittsburg, Kansas, as an effort to bring agricultural production and agribusiness together. It was sponsored by the agriculture committee of the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with Farm Talk Newspaper. The small show of about 60 exhibits drew a big crowd and the staff at Farm Talk Newspaper realized their biggest problem and blessing were the same: growth.
From 1976 to 1979, the Four State Farm Show was held in Miami, Oklahoma. In 1980, the show was moved to Parsons, Kansas. The 1981 and 1982 shows were once again held in Pittsburg. 1983 saw a move back to Parsons.
From 1984 to 2019, the Four State Farm Show was held on a 300-acre Pittsburg farm as an outdoor show.
In 2020, the Four State Farm Show moved to Pittsburg State University where the show could offer indoor booths in the Robert W. Plaster Center as well as its traditional outdoor exhibits. As a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the 2020 show was postponed and then cancelled.
In late 2020, the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds & Event Center in Springfield, MO acquired the assets of the Four State Farm Show and signed a multi-year agreement with Pittsburg State University to host the show in coming years.
In its four-decade history, the Four State Farm Show has become known as the premier agricultural event in the Four State region.