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Greetings! It’s us again, the 2023 Ohio Farm Bureau state fair interns. Since returning from our intern trip, we have been hard at work getting ready for the state fair. In the past few weeks, we took two small trips to check out aspects of the agricultural industry we were unfamiliar with to obtain inspiration and information for the Nationwide Donahey Land & Living exhibit. We went to the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex at Ohio State University’s Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory, and spent a day with one of Ohio Farm Bureau’s ExploreAg camps, where we dove into the ins and outs of the harness horse racing Industry. These experiences were so valuable that we wanted to share a little bit about them with all of you!

The Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association is one of many agricultural organizations showcased in the Land & Living animal zone. We were invited to join an ExploreAg camp to learn more about harness racing and make connections within the industry. Our day started at the Delaware County Fairgrounds where we toured the Brian Brown Stable and shadowed a horse groomer. Our groomer taught us how to harness and bridle a horse and the daily maintenance. We also got to observe a horse shoer in action. Did you know that horse shoes get replaced every few weeks? Next, we went to Sugar Valley Farm, a horse breeding facility. Sugar Valley Farm sells semen globally, and we got to learn how it is collected and packaged. Perhaps our favorite part was seeing the foals! Finally, we stopped at Scioto Downs to watch a harness race. We watched horses race that were bred from the studs at Sugar Valley Farms. After watching all the hard work these horsemen put into racing, we watched it pay off. Thank you to our hosts who shared their passions with us and gave us new knowledge that we can bring into the Land & Living exhibit.

We were also privileged to visit Ohio State’s Waterman facility to gain more inspiration for our environment displays at the state fair. We toured their new greenhouses and gained insight on growing crops with hydroponics, which means without soil. Prior to this experience, we had little knowledge of this type of agriculture, but our guides were phenomenal in explaining the ins and outs. They had several different biosecure rooms throughout the greenhouse, growing watermelon, tomatoes, squash, and more. The most fascinating aspect was how the greenhouse hatches pollinators and other integral insects to this controlled environment to allow plants to flourish and grow. Additionally, Waterman creates hybrids of certain vegetables which result in hardier species. Our experience was wonderful, and we are so grateful for our hosts!

We have been fortunate to have some neat and educational experiences lately. We are grateful for those that have allowed us to visit with them and tag along for the day. Each experience gives us more ideas for our exhibits in the Land & Living building. With even more experiences like these scheduled throughout the next few months, we are beyond excited for the potential of this year’s exhibit! Stay tuned throughout the summer to see what else we get into. See you at the state fair!