COLUMBUS, Ohio — Over the past few years the Ohio State Fair, as well as many of the 88 county fairs in the state, have done their best to inform the urban public where their food comes from.

 

Now, there’s a new effort going on at fairs to give patrons a better idea of what farmers do, short of working the field itself. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) led this effort at the Ohio State Fair last week, with its interactive “Land and Living” exhibit in the Nationwide Donahey Agriculture and Horticulture Building.

“The exhibit demonstrates agriculture’s link to everyday life, and we put urban patrons to the test,” said OFBF intern Abby Pozderac. “With so many exciting activities, the Land and Living exhibits are informational and interactive for all ages. We’re hoping visitors leave with a better understanding of the many facets of agriculture.”

In typical state fair fashion, there were a variety of interactive opportunities for children, such as playing with local rescue dogs, and learning about nutrition in the re-imagined child-sized grocery. This offered the chance to pick one’s own fruits and vegetables from the shelves, with the purpose of showing children how to select a complete and quality meal.

Another display allowed visitors to see chicks and turkeys come out of their shells. And, there were the ever-popular Country Cruise pedal tractors.

These displays are what fair officials call “standard,” or ordinary. In an effort to target the adult audience, though – those who have no idea of the many issues facing farmers these days – the state fair had virtual farming and agriscience experiences.

First up was the Augmented Reality Sandbox, a water quality sandbox. It is a 4-foot-square sandbox with an overhead projector, which displays elevation lines in accordance with the height of the sand. This display simulates the topographical setting of farmland.

When a hand hovers between the projector and the sand, simulated rain forms, eventually showing the effects of runoff and water damage.

Most popular is the tractor simulator, giving non-farmers an idea of the complexity involved in operating a three-ton tractor and planter in a field of varying terrain, while keeping their eyes on computer gadgets of all kinds in the cab.

Visitors attempting this simulator have five minutes to make as many passes through the field as they can and in the end, a computer provides a score based on the speed and accuracy of each row tilled, the amount of seed planted and the fuel used during the time allotted. “I drive a truck for a living, but I had no idea working a field could be this tough,” said Rodney Baver, a UPS driver who lives in Xenia. “There are so many things to keep an eye on and perhaps the most difficult part, of keeping the tractor going straight on an uneven surface. Very interesting simulator.”

He attempted the simulator a second time, but his results were much the same.

“There are farm game simulators such as Farmville, but that’s not realistic,” Baver said. “Experiencing this simulator makes you appreciate all that the farmer has to go through to get his seed in the ground. It’s definitely not easy.”

Many ag interns from local colleges and universities helped guide visitors through these virtual displays.

 

“Eventually, what these new displays do is demonstrate agriculture’s link to everyday life,” said Don Spencer, an OFBF member from Mount Vernon. “The public has been bombarded with the message that food comes from farms, or that many fibers in everyday life come from the farm.

“This is all well and good. But the effort now is to try and bring the urban public a little bit closer to understanding the efforts by the American farmer.” Even the neighboring Indiana State Fair offered a virtual reality tour through a swine barn.

“The emphasis this year was allowing a more in-depth vision of Ohio’s crops, animals and other important areas of agriculture,” Spencer explained.

“We estimate we had 300,000 visitors to the virtual displays in this building,” said Pozderac. “We hope visitors leave with a better understanding of the many facets of agriculture in Ohio.”