Farm Science Review Seeks to Break New Ground

LONDON, Ohio – From teaching techniques to help growers improve water and soil quality to helping farmers and producers learn how to combat invasive species, experts from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will seek to “break new ground” during this year’s Farm Science Review Sept. 17-19 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

Following the theme “Breaking New Ground,” the event will emphasize the best agricultural research, resources, information and access for farmers, said Chuck Gamble, who manages the Review.

“How do we protect the soil, how do we improve water quality are just some of the issues farmers are facing now because so much of what is going on today in agriculture is oriented around water quality,” he said.

“Invasive species are also a huge issue for Ohio. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that people don’t understand or know what it is when we talk about invasive species.”

Invasive species, which can include trees, beetles, shrubs, mussels, fish, fungi, weeds or pigs, are those that aren’t native to a place but arrive through people’s actions, either by accident or on purpose. They usually spread fast and can reduce or eliminate native species.

These issues are just a sampling of some of the topics participants can expect to learn about during the three-day farm trade show that annually draws more than 130,000 farmers, growers, producers and agricultural enthusiasts from across the U.S. and Canada.

The Review, now in its 51st year, is nationally known as Ohio’s premier agricultural event, Gamble said. And with growers experiencing more of a typical growing season in 2013, he said he anticipates Review attendance to be strong this year.

“We’ve got our best crop start ever here at the Review,” Gamble said. “Our corn and soybean prospects are the best crops we’ve ever planted and we’re harvesting the best wheat crop we’ve ever grown.”

Sponsored by CFAES, the Review features educational workshops, presentations, demonstrations and educational opportunities delivered by experts from Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, which are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of the college.

Participants can peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and capitalize on educational opportunities from Ohio State and Purdue University specialists.

Gamble said the Review sold out of exhibitor space sooner this year than in any previous year, which is a clear indication of the level of the interest participants have in attending the show and learning about what the Review has to offer.

“Companies know they’ll have a nice crowd of receptive farmers and producers interested in their products or services, which is a positive reflection on the show because of the large attendance we typically draw,” he said. “Between all the different educational displays, workshops and demonstrations our college experts provide, farmers know there are numerous opportunities to learn more about the newest research and innovations in agriculture out there.”

Some other Review highlights include:

• An appearance by the Peterson Farm Brothers, a musical trio from Kansas that creates agriculture-inspired music video parodies to popular music that are posted on YouTube. They will be on hand to discuss their experiences with visual agriculture communications Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the Morton Building.

• Daily field demonstrations by members of the OSU Extension Agronomic Crops Team on corn, soybean and wheat crops in plots established outside the eastern edge of the Review exhibit area. The plots are just outside Gate C near the main entrance gate.

• A demonstration of an unmanned aerial system for real-time crop maintenance and precision agriculture. The drones can be used to provide useful local site-specific data including crop scouting and geo-referencing to allow growers to monitor pesticides dispersion and fertilizer usage and to monitor crop health parameters including soil moisture.

Farm Science Review pre-show tickets are $7 at all OSU Extension county offices, many local agribusinesses, and also online at http://fsr.osu.edu/visitors/tickets. Tickets are $10 at the gate. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 17–18 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19.