Farm Science Review’s Gwynne Conservation Area Offers Diversity of Topics to Meet Wide Variety of Visitors’ Interests

LONDON, Ohio – Landowners, farmers and agricultural enthusiasts looking to learn the latest in natural resource management tips and techniques from experts with Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) may want to schedule to spend some time at the Gwynne Conservation Area during this year’s Farm Science Review Sept. 17-19 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. 

The Gwynne Conservation Area is comprised of 67 acres of natural resource demonstration areas, where visitors can see different conservation practices they can use on their land, said Marne Titchenell, an Ohio State University Extension wildlife program specialist. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.

“We offer a broad array of educational talks featuring topics focused on woodlands, wildlife and aquatics with the goal of appealing to as many people as possible,” she said. “The Gwynne is unique to anything else seen at the Farm Science Review; it's almost like coming over to a different world.

“Visitors will see tree plantings, native warm season grasses and prairie plantings, examples of nest boxes for wildlife, an embankment pond and a dug-out pond, native plant landscaping, a butterfly garden, and much more. People can also see how invasive plant species removal and a wetland renovation work.”

These are just some of the numerous demonstrations, workshops and presentations to be offered at the Gwynne Conservation Area during the agriculture trade show. Experts from Ohio State and Purdue University and state and federal natural resource professionals will offer discussions on topics including:

• Alternative Designs for Drainage Ditches              
• The Emerging Tick Problem in Ohio            
• Pond Stratification: Implications and Management
• Making Cents of the Timber Market        
• Well Ownership 101
• Steps for Successful Conservation Tree Planting
• Effective Mole Control: The Enemy Below  
• Giving Bobwhite an Edge: Habitat Management for Farmland Wildlife        
• Alphabet Soup of Invasive Species
• Improving Your Woods for You: A Guide to Enhance Your Woodland
• Bluebird Bios: Creating a Home for Bluebirds on Your Land
• Aquatic Invasive Species: Getting Involved in the Fight       
• Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Program              
• Fostering the Childhood Nature Connection: Benefits and Opportunities
• Asian Longhorned Beetle Update
• Controlling Invasive Plants in Conservation Plantings     
• Aquatic Vegetation Management and Control
• Feral Swine Trapping and Techniques Demonstrations
• Landscaping for Wildlife: Enjoying Wildlife Around Your Home
• Native Grass and Wildflower Identification
• Deer and Goose Damage Control Permits     
• Detecting Hemlock Wooly Adelgid and Thousand Canker Disease: We Have an App for That!
• Cultivating Shiitake Mushrooms
• Recipe for Water Gardening in Containers    

Visitors can walk the grounds or take a ride on a guided wagon tour through the Gwynne. They can also visit the exhibit tent and talk with natural resource professionals to get answers to any questions they may have about their properties, Titchenell said.

The Gwynne will also feature several demonstrations including:

• How a dry fire hydrant is used, demonstrated by the Central Township Joint Fire District, Sept. 17 and 18 from 1:30-2 p.m.
• The 4-H shooting sports, daily from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Electrofishing and macroinvertebrate sampling by the Ohio EPA, Sept.18, from 10-11 a.m. and 2-3 p.m.

“New this year, the Gwynne will also feature a tent where high school students can prepare for the Envirothon, a competition in which teams of high school students focus on environmental issues and natural resources comprehension in areas of forestry, wildlife, soils, and aquatics," she said.

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

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. 

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.