LONDON, Ohio — Corn is grown, harvested and sold. Most people don’t give this plant a second thought. But there are some who know of corn’s unusual history and know the importance biotechnology has played in the plant’s evolution process.

The history of corn will be on display at The Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review (FSR), Sept. 20-22, at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. “We’ll be telling the story of technology in corn with our display,” said Harold Watters, OSU extension educator and coordinator of its Agronomic Crops Team.

“From teosinte on through to the most modern quad stack, we’ll highlight the plant’s breeding and technology development. Corn has developed from a simple grass into a major crop.”

Scientists believe people living in Central Mexico developed corn at least 7,000 years ago. It was started from a wild grass called teosinte. Teosinte looked very different from today’s corn. The kernels were small and were not placed close together like kernels on the husked ear of modern corn.

“We’ll talk about how farming practices have developed,” Watters said. “I’ve got some demonstrations where I put in different populations, some varieties from 100 years ago right next to some of the modern varieties, so folks can see the differences.”

Watters added the varieties exhibit obvious and significant differences in traits such as stalk quality, ear size, root strength, ability to stand and kernel count. He said it’s not just biotechnology, but plant breeding improvements, as well. He added the demonstration isn’t just about the differences in the plant itself, but also about differences in how the plant and kernel are processed and used in the modern production chain.

“This exhibit is really amazing,” Watters said. “We’ll have pod corn, gourd corn, flint corn and others. Modern processing practices play a big role in helping us get higher starch content and energy. We no longer have to grow a single variety for a single application because of the processing we have today.”

Farm safety is also always a hot topic and will be showcased at this year’s show.

“We provide relevant safety education opportunities to farmers attending the Review,” said Kathy Henwood, extension program coordinator for Agricultural Safety and Health. “We try to have something new each year that highlights current concerns in production agriculture.”

This year, two demonstrations deal with management issues in confined spaces on farms, including combustible dust explosions and manure storage ventilation.

Combustible dust in grain handling and storage facilities can be extremely dangerous. Extension and industry experts will discuss the causes of dust explosions, as well as tips and techniques for prevention. Sessions include explosion demonstrations of various types of agricultural products.

In addition, a new demonstration this year focuses on how to deal with ventilation issues in manure storage facilities.

“The manure storage presentation is a new partnership with Penn State specialists,” Henwood said. “They will bring a demonstration trailer that emphasizes the importance of positive ventilation systems for confined manure storage facilities.”

Henwood said the demonstration includes a number of important aspects of manure gas monitoring and safe-entry procedures. “We’re focusing on our dairy and swine operations, where these types of storage facilities are likely to be located,” she said.

In addition, there are multiple other demonstrations and exhibits available at this year’s FSR. Trotter field demonstrations include GPS, corn harvesting, manure applications, tillage, field drainage applications, strip-till and others.

At the Center for Small Farms, visitors can learn more about berry production, producing home-grown nitrogen, beekeeping, financial management strategies for small farms, deer farming, getting started in aquaculture, marketing grapes, getting started in community gardening, leasing farmland for oil and gas production, legal issues facing landowners and food safety.

At the Utzinger Memorial Garden visitors may learn about small trees, perennials, pruning, weeds, container vegetable gardening, rain gardens and pest management. Activities for teens will be in the Firebaugh Building and those interested in small ponds and healthy wetlands will want to visit the Aquaculture Amphitheatre.

The Wildlife Amphitheatre is the place to go for learning more about wildlife pests around the home, as well as native grasses and wildflowers.

This year visitors can meet one-on-one with experts in agriculture to learn more about grain market outlooks, crop input costs, income and employment, world food economy, ag policy updates, farm budgets, estate planning, on-farm energy audits, farm finance for women, wind farming, hydroponics opportunities, greenhouse tomato opportunities, livestock law, markets for whitetails and community supported agriculture.

Expected to garner lots of attention will be the latest in agricultural technology, livestock handling equipment, grain and machine storage and other outbuilding structures, natural resources practices and programs, demonstrations of drainage systems and much more.

FSR is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, OSU extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

It is expected to attract 140,000 visitors from all over the country and Canada.

Pre-show tickets are now on sale for $5 at all Ohio extension county offices. Tickets will also be available at local agribusinesses. They are $8 at the gate. Children ages five and younger are admitted free. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 20-21 and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 22.

For more information, visit the Farm Science Review online at http:// fsr.osu.edu and for the latest news and updates, follow “Farm Science Review” on Twitter or Facebook.