State, county fairs get funding in lame-duck legislation
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Land & Living at the 2022 Ohio State Fair
The 2022 Ohio State Fair starts this week, so we want to encourage you to come out and see this year’s Land & Living Exhibit! Ohio Farm Bureau’s state fair interns have been hard at work preparing the exhibit for thousands of fairgoers to experience. The exhibit is broken into four zones: animals, technology, food, and environment.
Here are the highlights of each zone:
Animal
The animal zone is full of excitement and new beginnings! As always it will feature the pig birthing center and chick hatching unit. At both, fairgoers get to experience the birth of new life and learn about the care for new livestock and mothers. Speaking of care, the animal zone will have a new dairy calf care hutch and beef sustainability activity. Each highlights how farmers grow and care for cattle both in the beef and dairy industries. In addition, apiary bee gear and live bees (on some days) will be displayed. Last but not least will be the horse cart VR racing, bone box, and leg wrap. These activities give fairgoers a look into the world of harness horse racing and all the health management that goes into it.
Technology
Tractors, combines, and drones- oh my! Returning to the technology zone are the tractor and combine simulators. Fairgoers will be able to “drive” the simulators to feel what it is like to plant and harvest a field. In addition, a soybean VR headset will allow them to learn more in-depth about soybean production. Of course, Dr. Bob Horton will be back with his “High Flying Drones” highlighting another innovation in agriculture technology. Lastly, new to the technology zone is the iFarm Immersive Theater. This dome-shaped theater screen will allow fairgoers to watch and learn about agriculture. The 360-degree design makes for an immersive experience where they are surrounded by the movie.
Food
Returning to the food zone this year is Ohio Farm Bureau’s grocery store. Children will take a shopping list and “shop” for all of the items. At the checkout, the children will learn about where their food comes from. Plant Your Seed will also return to the zone this year. At this activity, fairgoers learn that a lot of their food starts from a seed, and then have the opportunity to plant their own seed in a peat pot. In collaboration with Ohio State’s Meat Science department, a new meats display will be in the zone this year. Fairgoers can learn about the cuts and grades of the meat they eat.
Environment
Come learn all about water and soil quality in our new crops and water path. The exhibit will feature live crops so fairgoers can learn about how farmers are practicing sustainability. Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association also will bring new exhibits to the zone. Returning activities to the environment zone include Bio Boats and Have You Seen DNA.
Other Highlights
The Land & Living Exhibit also features stage shows and a community connections area. The stage show schedule is full of fun, interactive presentations for fairgoers to watch. A few of them include the Columbus Zoo, a presentation from the Ohio FFA State Officers, a 4-H panel, sheep shearing, and many more!
The Community Connections area features many different agricultural groups including USDA, Ohio State, Ohio’s Country Journal, Grange, and Central State. Fairgoers can also visit the phone charging station and enter a raffle to win a pig grill sponsored by Ohio Soybean Council.
There will be something for everyone in our building, so we encourage you to visit while you are at the 2022 Ohio State Fair!
I'm eternally grateful for the support Ohio Farm Bureau scholarships provided in helping me turn my dreams into reality.
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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