Farm Science Review
Farm Science Review is Ohio's premiere outdoor agricultural educational and trade show, drawing upwards of 140,000 visitors from across the United States and Canada over three days. Visitors peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and learn the latest in agricultural research, conservation and the environment, family and nutrition, and gardening and landscape. Farm Science Review is always held during the third full week of September at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
Farm Science Review is supported by Ohio State University and is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Farm Science Review is part of the Molly Caren Agricultural Center's 2,100 acres, which includes the Gwynne Conservation Area, field demos and 80 acres of exhibitor space. The Review boasts one of the most comprehensive field demonstration areas of any farm show in the United States. Visitors can view the harvesting of corn and soybeans, as well as the see the latest in tillage and conservation tillage equipment, precision agriculture technology, variable rate application methods, and manure management techniques.
2010 marks the show's 48th year.
Location
The Molly Caren Agricultural Center, the site of Farm Science Review, is in close proximity to major Ohio cities including Columbus, Springfield and Dayton.
The site is located two miles north of London, Ohio in Madison County on U.S. Route 40, approximately 30 miles west of Columbus, 25 miles east of Springfield and 50 miles east of Dayton. Travelers can reach the Molly Caren Agricultural Center and Farm Science Review via Interstate 70.
History
Roy M. Kottman, a former dean of Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (known as the College of Agriculture at the time) is credited for launching Farm Science Review.
At the time, the college was looking for a replacement to "Farm and Home Week," a 46-year-old program that came to its end in 1959. In 1961, Kottman was approached by M.R. Maxon, regional branch sales manager for International Harvester Corporation. Maxon wanted to know if Ohio State was interested in sponsoring a farm machinery show that would include field demonstrations and educational displays.
Meetings between Kottman and Maxon soon involved Ray Mattson of the Columbus Tractor Club, Thomas Wonderling of OSU Extension, and Robert P. Worral from the College of Agriculture. In March 1962, the group finalized a "Memorandum of Agreement" among the Ohio Expositions Commission, the Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (known as the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station at that time). Later that year, Ohio State President Novice G. Fawcett signed the memorandum. Kottman signed for the College of Agriculture and Rowland Bishop signed for the Ohio Expositions Commission.
Farm Science Review was officially born.
The first show was held at the Ohio State University Don Scott Airport in northwest Columbus, Ohio. Over 18,000 visitors paid 50 cents a ticket to view 116 commercial exhibits and be the first to witness no-till corn demonstrations. For the next decade, visitors were treated to such programs as research on 20-inch and 30-inch corn rows, the introduction of big farm equipment, solid-row soybean planting, conservation exhibits, fertilizer application by airplane, and research to fight corn blight.
By 1979, with 66,000 visitors and 423 companies, Farm Science Review was outgrowing its 45-acre exhibition area at Don Scott. In 1983, the Review moved to its permanent home in London, Ohio, on 993 acres of land donated by the late Molly Brown Caren Fisher. The rest of the Molly Caren Agricultural Center was purchased from Prudential Insurance Company in 1992.
Molly Caren Agricultural Center
Molly Brown Caren Fisher donated her family's 1812 Madison County farm, valued at over $1.7 million, for applied research and educational programs aimed at the agricultural industry. The land, now known as the Molly Caren Agricultural Center (located off Rt. 40 near London), houses 80-acres of exhibition area for the Review, along with the Gwynne Conservation Area and acres of corn and soybean research plots. It now encompasses 2,100 acres. Molly Brown Caren Fisher passed away in 2005and has been inducted into the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame.
Aside from Farm Science Review, the Molly Caren Agricultural Center is home to year-round events and agricultural activity. The Natural Resources Interpretive Center located at the Gwynne Conservation Area is used as an outdoor educational area. Several agricultural fields days sponsored by Ohio State University and private industry take place at the site each year.
In addition, the Molly Caren Agricultural Center is the site of on-going agricultural, field crop and conservation research, including the recent installation of controlled drainage structures, the enrollment of land in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and an on-going project with the Ohio Land Improvement Contractors Association (OLICA).