The 52nd annual Ohio State University Farm Science Review, sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, wrapped up today, welcoming 131,153 farmers, industry professionals, FFA students and agricultural enthusiasts during the three-day event.
This year’s crowd topped the attendance from the 2013 Review of 129,864 attendees, show organizers said.
“The 2014 Farm Science Review was bigger and better than ever,” said Chuck Gamble, Review manager. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from both exhibitors and attendees about their show experience, and we’re very pleased with our attendance numbers this week.”
Sunny skies and no rain over the three days brought in crowds of 41,321 on Monday, 60,560 on Wednesday and 29,272 on Thursday.
Highlights of the 2014 show include:
● The announcement of a $1 million water quality initiative called Field to Faucet by Bruce McPheron, Ohio State’s vice president for agricultural administration and dean for the college, at the Vice President’s Lunch Tuesday.
● Two new inductees into the 25th class of the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame – Mike Haubner and the late DeLynn Kale.
● Presentations by Ohio State University experts on hot topics in agriculture, such as the 2014 Farm Bill, drones on the farm and legal issues, and this year’s grain outlook.
● The celebration of the 10-year anniversary with Purdue University and Purdue Extension in the show’s educational component.
● Comprehensive field demonstrations featuring planter technology for the first time in 20 years.
● Early soybean yield results showing an average in the mid-50s for bushels per acre and 205 bushels per acre on average for corn.
● A charity auction held by Titan Tire, raising $54,080 to benefit Ohio FFA students.
This year’s Review also had a record 620 exhibitors, an increase from 608 exhibitors last year, Gamble said. Small booth space was up 7 percent within the existing 80-acre exhibit area.
Lindsay Precast, a manufacturer of precast concrete products and new exhibitor at the Review, quickly realized the value in exhibiting at one of the Midwest’s largest farm shows.
“Working with the Farm Science Review management team has been phenomenal, and it’s a great set-up here,” said Deb Hoffman, of Lindsay Precast. “We were really impressed by the quality of the show’s attendees.”
“We’ve had great exposure and great conversations these past three days and have already decided to exhibit again next year.”
The 2015 Farm Science Review will take place Sept. 22-24.
Farm Science Review is known as Ohio’s premier agricultural event and draws more than 130,000 farmers, growers, producers and agricultural enthusiasts from across the U.S. and Canada annually. Participants are able to peruse 4,000 product lines from roughly 620 commercial exhibitors and engage in educational workshops, presentations and demonstrations 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. This year’s show marked the 10th anniversary of partnership with Purdue University and Purdue Extension. Educators and researchers from Purdue also presented educational workshops. For more information on the Farm Science Review, visit fsr.osu.edu.