LONDON, Ohio. Do you ever want to get on the cockpit of a plane and glide over a field?
In Science Science Farm magazine from September 21 to 23 this year, visitors will have this opportunity without leaving the grassy ground beneath them.
The upcoming annual farm fair will offer a range of virtual reality experiences, such as using a plumber, high-tech planters, combine harvesters and other equipment.
Sitting in an IMAX-type mini-theater, FSR visitors can watch videos projected on a dome screen around them. They’ll get expansive vision, a little wider than peripheral vision, so they can feel like they’re flying in an airplane. Or riding a high-tech gardener. Or look at a hive.
To film the videos, educators at the Ohio State University Extension mounted cameras at various points on planters, tractors, combines, and other vehicles, so viewers could get a perspective they wouldn’t normally get.
“It’s a bit like having a misconception of all these places,” said Brooke Beam, an extension educator in Highland County. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), which hosts FSR.
One of the videos was captured by drones that flew over fields across the state to highlight the variety of Ohio agriculture: different crops, different types of soil, and an assortment of land.
“Young people will find the technology really fascinating,” said Nick Zachrich, FSR manager. “But in addition, experienced farmers or producers will get a vision that they don’t normally get, a vision of what another person is doing. Then they can see if it can be something useful for their own operations. “
Having an immersive theater experience is one of the new offerings for the next three days of FSR. Last year, the show was exclusively virtual as a result of the pandemic. This year’s show will be face-to-face, but some talks and demonstrations will be broadcast live from the Molly Caren Agricultural Center near London, Ohio. And many of the talks will also be recorded so people can watch them online from their phones, tablets or laptops.
A new market pavilion will offer visitors the opportunity to try products that promote smaller food and agriculture companies, such as a dairy that could start a type of ice cream or a special cheese.
In its third year, the FSR Career Exploration Fair will be both face-to-face and online. On September 22, the professional fair of the race will be held from 10 to 12 h. During the same time period, on September 24, people can go to fsr.osu.edu for a virtual opportunity to learn about agricultural careers.
“Being able to be there and be part of a crowd will be very appealing to people,” Zachrich said of this year’s program. “It’s a good opportunity to get away from the farm for a day.”
The FSR is open from 8 am to 5 pm from 21 to 22 September and from 8 am to 4 pm on 23 September. Tickets for the event are $ 7 online and at OS Extension county offices and participating agribusiness companies, or $ 10 at the door. Children 5 years and under are free.
For tickets and more information about FSR, visit fsr.osu.edu. High resolution photos and social media resources for FSR 2021 are available at go.osu.edu/fsr2021mediaassets.
Sitting in an IMAX-type mini-theater, Farm Science Review visitors can watch videos projected on a dome screen around them. They will have expansive vision so they can feel like they are flying on a plane, riding a high-tech gardener, or looking at a hive.
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