By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Those looking for a combine, composter, fertilizer or fencing, the 41st annual Power Show Ohio in Columbus may be the place to search.

From farm equipment of all kinds to cooking demonstrations by Ohio Proud, from the National Kiddie Tractor Pull to farm management seminars, Power Show Ohio, Jan. 28-30 on the grounds of the Ohio Expo Center, promises to be entertaining as well as educational.

“We offer 300,000 square feet of exhibits and demonstrations and we’ll draw 25,000 people on those three days,” according to Power Show Ohio Manager Dennis Alford. “Roughly 55 percent of those attending are from the agriculture community, but others have similar needs for the small and large power equipment that will be on exhibit.

“Anyone utilizing ag, construction or outdoor power equipment in their business should know this show will feature more than 600 brands of equipment.”
Four buildings will be used (Voinovich Center, Celeste Center, Coliseum and Bric-ker Building). Visitors are able to circulate in all four buildings using the tent walkways that connect the facilities. More than 200 exhibitors will set up booths at the show this year. The event attracts attendees from Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The list of vendors and their wares seems endless (see page 4B in this issue). Visitors will see the latest in tractors, logging equipment, all-terrain vehicles, feed mixers, grain dryers, hay equipment, hydraulic equipment, computers, excavators, loaders, tillage equipment, sprayer controls and much more.
New this year is a drawing each day for a $1,000 voucher good toward the purchase of merchandise from any Ohio-Michigan Equipment Dealers Assoc. (OMEDA) member.

The highlight of this year’s program will be farm management seminars, touching on topics such as Small Engine Care and Maintenance, Farmland Preservation, Far-mers and Fall Protection, Tillage Choices and Compaction Issues and Barn Rehabilitation.

Aletha Reshan, Emergency Management Program coordinator at The Ohio State University’s Department of Food, Agriculture and Biological Engineering, will lead a session on Agriculture Rescue.

“We’ll cover grain bin safety and grain bin engulfment rescue education,” Reshan said. “We’ll tell people what they can do in case there is an engulfment at the farm and that they can expect from first responders on the scene.”
Deaths on the farm relating to overturned tractors, manure pits and electrocution make farming one of the most hazardous occupations. But Reshan said grain engulfment, either from a truck or a bin, poses one of the biggest risks.

“What people fail to realize is that one can suffocate with the head above the grain,” she said. “Every time you breathe in, you displace the grain, but it presses back even more so, making it harder when you exhale. Even standing grain is seen as a play area to a small child.”

Other seminars are Universal Design for Home, Garage and Barn; Small Engines Care and Maintenance, Fertilizer, Manure and Algae; Pond Management and Top 10 Sprayer Tips to Save Money, Increase Yields. Power Show Ohio hours are from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Admission at the door is $5 per person, with children under 12 admitted free. Shuttle buses will be provided this year, taking visitors from the parking lot to the Voinovich Center.

Free tickets are available from many Ohio equipment dealers. Visit www. omeda.org for a list of dealers who offer free tickets. Parking is $10.
“Power Show Ohio began in 1971 with the intent to create sales for the members of the association,” said Alford, referring to OMEDA. The group existed under several names over the years, but the first meeting of the original organization (then called the Buckeye Implement Dealers Assoc.) took place on Feb. 14, 1893.

“A growing segment of our show is the number of stoves and furnaces,” Alford said. “Alternative heating devices are a big draw every year. But there’s something here for just about anyone. This show is a good opportunity to see a wide variety of power equipment, and attendees can also do some quick comparison shopping and talk to manufacturing representatives.”
The power show draws exhibitors from 25 states and Canada.