Ohio State University announced July 14 that its Farm Science Review will be virtual this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We understood early on that regardless of the number of cases, the show would have to take a drastically different approach in order to meet the health and safety requirements for COVID-19, such as physical distancing and sanitization,” said Nick Zachrich, Farm Science Review manager, in a press release.
The farm show is scheduled for Sept. 22-24 this year. This will be the first time in its almost 60-year history that the show, which usually brings in 100,000 attendees from around the United States and Canada, will not be held in-person.
Zachrich added that while event organizers would have liked to wait until closer to the event, they made the decision now, just over two months out, so suppliers, exhibitors and partners could start planning for a virtual show.
The event usually includes 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, field demonstrations and other educational programs with specialists from Ohio State, Central State University and other land-grant institutions.
“With our multigenerational audience, we determined a need to prioritize everyone’s health and ensure that we are doing our part to contain the spread of the virus during this global pandemic,” Zachrich said.
In addition to safety concerns, Ohio’s guidelines currently limit mass gatherings. The press release noted that it seems unlikely that the situation will change enough to accommodate the 35,000-50,000 daily attendance numbers for the show by September.
For updates about the 2020 virtual Farm Science Review, visit fsr.osu.edu.
