Ohio Correspondent

LONDON, Ohio – No more virtual reality. No more live streaming.

The Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review (FSR), which was held online last year because of the pandemic, will return this year to a live event for the 59th annual event.

The premier agricultural education and industry exposition is set for Sept. 21-13 at Ohio State’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center at 135 state Route 38 near London. The event attracts 100,000 annually.

“Being able to be there onsite and part of a crowd will be very inviting to people,” said Nick Zachrich, FSR Manager. “It’s a good opportunity to get away from the farm for a day.”

Featured at the event will be more than 100 educational sessions, including “Ask the Expert” talks, 600 exhibits, a career exploration fair and the most comprehensive field crop demonstrations in the nation.

“There will also be a new online component,” Zachrich said, “called ‘Farm Science Review Live’ and it will bring content from the Molly Caren Ag Center to wherever you are in the world with internet access. Farm Science Review Live will help people see what they might have missed, or will let them go back to watch and learn again. It’s a next big step in ramping up the event’s digital tools, which in recent years have seen the addition of a mobile app and a digital directory, both designed to help people navigate the grounds.”

In its third year, FSR’s Career Exploration Fair will be both in-person and online. On Sept. 22, the in-person career fair will be held from 10 a.m. to noon. During the same time frame on Sept. 24, people can visit fsr.osu.edu for a virtual opportunity to learn about careers in agriculture, or how to educate to train to become employees in agricultural businesses.

Visitors can head to the Livestock Educators Corral and chat with OSU researchers and Extension educators for information on beef quality assurance, transport quality assurance, hay storage demonstration, forage quality, custom processing information, and livestock education resources.

On the grounds sits the Small Farms Center, where visitors can learn about raising miniature cattle, beginning farmer opportunities, organic grain basics, how to see meat from the farm, agroforestry practices, niches for small farm operations, dos and don’ts of fencing, beef cattle management, swine production, artificial insemination and others.

At the Utzinger Memorial Garden, visitors can hear presentations regarding building a soil profile, fruit diseases, fall-planted cut flowers, low maintenance perennials, growing ethnic specialty crops, growing gourmet mushrooms, top-performing annuals and much more.

At the Energy Tent visitors will discover that as agricultural operations have become more sophisticated and automated, the electric demands of many farms have increased, requiring enhanced needs for high-quality electric to power equipment. Visitors will learn ways in which farmers can reduce energy usage, lower energy costs and learn about ways to produce their own renewable energy.

Listen to experts discuss Nutrient Management to learn about how to better utilize manure nutrients, how to side-dress corn with liquid manure, how to top-dress wheat with liquid manure and how many tons per acre your manure spreader applies.

Join the 4H program and explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in agriculture through hands-on activities at the 4H Ag STEM tent. Learn how your 4H or FFA projects or favorite class in school are related to a possible career in agriculture.

Finally, take a stroll to the Gwynne Conservation Area, a 67-acre conservation area that offers programs, exhibits, demos, talks and guided tours all three days of the show.

“While research, teaching and serving communities throughout Ohio never stopped during the pandemic, we are grateful to once again be in person, working together, to advance our industry,” said Cathann Kress, OSU’s vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “This event is a critical component of our land-grant mission to provide research-based information and practical education to the people of Ohio and beyond.”

FSR hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 21-22 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 23. Tickets for the event are $7 online and at OSU Extension county offices and participating agribusinesses, or $10 at the gate. Children ages 5 and under are free. For tickets and more information about FSR visit fsr.osu.edu.