2008 Blue & Gold to Scarlet & Gray

(click here for registration information)

Blue & Gold to Scarlet & Gray is an opportunity for Ohio FFA members to explore The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) during the Ohio FFA Convention. FFA Chapters can choose unique tours that highlight the facilities and laboratories of our college and interact with the faculty and staff who run them. There are a wide variety of tours available for chapters to take part in, which will provide for different learning opportunities. To find out when specific tours are offered look at the "Tour Availability" listed on the website.  You can register for tours by clicking on the registration information link above.

CFAES Leadership Workshop
This year we are adding a workshop to the Blue & Gold to Scarlet & Gray program. The B.L.A.D.E. workshop will be led by the CFAES Ambassadors and will focus on Buckeye Leadership And Developing Excellence Conference. The workshop will take place on May 2nd in the Agricultural Administration Auditorium from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. This opportunity is only offered at one time during the program. Sign up for the workshop when you register your chapter for a visit by checking the "CFAES Leadership Workshop" option.

Listed below are the options for chapters to tour while they are visiting CFAES.

* Aquaculture Laboratory - Visit the aquaculture laboratories located in Kottman Hall and the research fish nutrition and evolutionary aspects of ascorbic acid synthesis in aquatic animals. Ongoing research also emphasizes aquaculture methods in reproduction and rearing of freshwater fishes with emphasis in fish bioenergetics in intensive systems, ponds and lake cages.

* CFAES Campus Tour - Take a tour of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences which highlights all of our buildings on campus as well as the different opportunities available to students. The CFAES Campus Tour will be offered throughout the day on May 1^st and 2^nd. All of the other tours have specific times they are available.

* Chadwick Arboretum - The Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens is an extensive green reserve on the Ohio State University campus within an urban setting. Its mission is to provide an educational environment to advance the knowledge of students in their horticultural studies and to be a resource for learning about plants for the campus community and general public.

* Beef Farm - (Located off campus) - The mission of the center is to provide animals for teaching and research endeavors of the University. Live animals are required for evaluation classes so that students can learn what is actually happening in an industry setting. Most of the research projects that are conducted are performed to help increase the profitability of producers around the state.

* Dairy Farm - (Located off campus) - The dairy farm is located on the main campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The dairy farm provides a facility to conduct nutritional research related to different feeds and a live herd allows students to learn about dairy cattle.

* Equine Center - (Located off campus) - The Equine Center has a classroom for 50 students, a small breeding lab and an office. There are three foaling stalls, two stallion stalls and 20 box stalls along with three outside run in sheds. OSU has Quarter Horses and Paints which are used in teaching, extension, and research programs.

* Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering Laboratories - The department provides access to state-of-the-art research facilities in many areas. Control systems engineering, simulation and electronic systems are supported by the Department's Computer and Control Labs and Food Process Control Laboratory.

* Meat Laboratory - Located in the Animal Science building the Meat Laboratory provides a unique learning environment. The laboratory instructs students about the processing of animals and the science involved.

* Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center - The 4-H Center is a facility for youth, adult volunteers, community organizations, and all other Ohio State University partners. Thousands of Ohio Youth will be involved in 4-H Development programs and activities. This state-of-the-art Center will be available to Ohioans, people across the nation, and those around the world seeking better youth development practices.

* Parker Sensory Laboratory - The Parker Food Science Building is home to the majors of Food Science and Food Business Management. The building itself is one of the newest buildings on the CFAES campus and is home to the Parker Dairy Food Store.

* Poultry Facility - The poultry center serves teaching, research, and extension activities. To support these activities, the poultry building can house chickens in battery brooder pens, cages, or floor pens. Other parts of the building include a teaching laboratory, equipment to mix feed and a room for incubation.

* Swine Farm - (Located off campus) - The facilities house 100 females which are farrowed in 24 farrowery crates eight times per year. There are grower-finish facilities for 300 animals and nursery facilities for up to 450 animals. The main sow herd is used for nutritional research trials. The offspring from this sow herd is also used for nutritional studies in the nurseries, grower-finish trials, and reproductive physiology studies.

* Turfgrass Facility - (Located off campus) - A part of the Waterman Learning Facility on the northwest side of campus, the 25 acre turfgrass research facility is home to numerous turf plots and also houses Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Research & Education Center. The center was built by the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation in 1996 and it has nearly 7,000 square feet of high quality space for turfgrass research and educational efforts.

* Vet Clinic - As a comprehensive referral center for veterinary practitioners, the hospital is an integral part of the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University, and is among the largest facilities of its kind in the world, with more than 35,000 animals examined each year. Their mission is to provide and ensure that farm/equine and companion animals have access to high quality, primary and specialized services in a supportive and caring environment using expert knowledge and state-of-the-art technology.

* Vet School - Established in 1934 as the first of its kind in a veterinary college, the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine provides the major agricultural focus for the College of Veterinary Medicine. Activities in the Department combine basic and applied research to address problems in the broad areas of food animal health and production and public health.

* Wetlands - (Located off campus) - Located off of Olentangy River Road the center provides a place for students to conduct research. This research is looking at the functioning of wetlands, if and how one can create and restore wetlands, and how wetlands provide water quality improvement, habitat support, flood control, etc. Functioning of the wetlands is being investigated through study of biogeochemical cycles, roles of plants and plant biodiversity on ecosystem function, and ecosystem modeling.


NOTE: Tours located off campus will require extra time for travel. Please allow this extra time if your group is interested in visiting one of these facilities.