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The Land & Living exhibit has been a hub for agriculture education for years. The exhibit, housed in the Nationwide Donahey Ag & Hort building at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, welcomes visitors to learn more about agriculture using a variety of interactive exhibits.

As your 2023 state fair interns, we look forward to sharing our biggest passion with the public and working with commodity groups around the state. Here’s a little bit about us, and we hope to connect with you at the fair! 

Ashley Tate

From the rolling hills of Holmes County to the busy streets of Columbus, agriculture has remained at the forefront of my life. I grew up on my family’s grain operation where I spent many days in the buddy seat of the tractor and playing in barns with my cousins. As I got older, I gained more responsibilities on the farm, and my passion for agriculture blossomed. Activities like 4-H, FFA, and Junior Fair Board made that love grow deeper, and they showed me how I could implement agriculture into my future. Now, I study agricultural communications at The Ohio State University and plan to work in the industry upon graduation. 

With the rise of misconceptions in the media, I believe it is our job as young agriculturists to share accurate messages about agriculture with consumers and create a positive and credible reputation for the agriculture industry. The Land & Living exhibit will give us an opportunity to connect with people who may not know where their food comes from or have never had a conversation with a farmer before. The Ohio Farm Bureau is a crucial part of our state’s agriculture industry, and I am honored to work with such knowledgeable and passionate individuals.If you see us at the fair, come say hi! We are so excited for this journey and can’t wait to see what the summer brings. We will be blogging about our experience as well as what to anticipate at this year’s state fair. Please follow us online as well as on Ohio Farm Bureau’s social media channels.

Branson Van Fleet

Whether I’m down in Appalachia on the family farm, or in Columbus at The Ohio State University, my life has always been centered around agriculture. I grew up in Noble County on my family’s Polled Hereford cattle farm. From the pastures to the show ring, my time around the herd continuously grew my passion for livestock and the agriculture industry. This passion was fueled even more once I was old enough to participate in organizations such as FFA and 4-H. This passion has led me to The Ohio State University, where I am about to enter my fourth and final year majoring in agriscience education. I hope to one day be an agricultural educator and FFA advisor.

Everywhere I go, I run into people who aren’t fully aware of where their food comes from and the importance of the industry. Unfortunately, I’m seeing this even more in younger people and young adults. As these are the people who will be the future of the industry, I decided I wanted to help. I am pursuing a career as an agricultural educator to spend my career working with young leaders in agriculture and educating to secure the future success of our industry. While I can’t be in the classroom yet, there are other ways I can start educating about agriculture right now. I am excited to work with the Ohio Farm Bureau Land & Living exhibit this year to share my love of agriculture with fairgoers. With a talented team of ambassadors, great exhibits and the help and support from our partners and sponsors, there’s no limit to the impact we can make on the future of agriculture in Ohio.

Reily Jacobs-Bell

Growing up in Zanesville, Ohio on my family’s hog farm, I was introduced to agriculture at a young age. By the time I was six, I was showing horses and pigs and spending hours each week feeding and caring for my animals. As I got older, I became heavily involved in FFA and 4-H, and participated in several contests and events, and showed cattle and hogs at our county and state fairs. I have always known that I wanted to be involved in the agricultural industry, but it was not until college that I figured out what I wanted to contribute. I love working with people and livestock, and enjoy both teaching and learning about the industry. Because of this, I am a rising junior at The Ohio State University, majoring in agricultural communications, and minoring in meat science and Spanish. My passion is serving people, and I believe that I can do this in my life through providing education and quality food products to my community. 

I was led to this internship due to my family’s involvement with Farm Bureau, and because of my love for learning about agriculture. I am incredibly excited to learn about more diverse fields of the industry, and to apply this knowledge in the Land & Living exhibit at the Ohio State Fair. During my time with the Ohio Farm Bureau and beyond, I hope to spread positivity and truth about agriculture, and teach people about who produces their food, and where it really comes from.