Agriculture is one of the most economically impactful sectors in Ohio. The $124 billion industry is actually one of the main reasons the Ohio State Fair came to be.
That is why Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine invested millions of dollars into update the historic site with help from multiple agriculture organizations.
“Our state legislature has put in, with the leadership of the governor, about $460 million to this campus," said Brian Baldridge, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture . "Because truly, the investment is generational, without a doubt and the State Fair was founded on agriculture.”
Baldridge said this entire investment started with a vision from DeWine when he came into office and worked to put together a task force.
"The 2050 plan, to really see where the state fair is and where it's going," he said. "Well, that plan has come together and then some."
Part of that plan includes the new Ohio Agriculture Center.
Standing at approximately 177,000 square feet, the building showcases Ohio’s farmers, producers and offers an interactive ImAGine Exhibit.
"We love to do what we do in agriculture, and that's grow a wonderful, bountiful product to feed Ohioans and feed the world. But now we get to showcase it," Baldridge said.
Directly within the entrance of the Ohio Agriculture Center, visitors can explore a massive dining hall. Both sides of the room are lined with restaurants selling locally sourced lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, pork and more.
Beyond the food hall there is also an education and shopping area for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The Ohio Proud store sells local products like honey, wine, tortilla chips, coffee and more alongside Made in Ohio swag.
"I think now more than ever, the consumer kind of wants to get that feeling of, 'Where is my food coming from? I want to feel that buy local concept,'" Baldridge said. "That's why the Ohio Proud program is such a great program. And we lift that up every day supporting those Ohio producers, growers, raisers, folks who are raising great products."
After shopping, visitors can tour an interactive exhibit organized by the Ohio Farm Bureau. At the very front of the exhibit, visitors are welcomed in by an audio tour guide, leading them through the four seasons of Ohio agriculture.
"Were walking through a year of what a farmer is going through, all four seasons, learning the challenges," said Ryan Matthews, Ohio Farm Bureau director of communications and media relations. "They're always trying to figure out how to be better for their crops and how to make sure that we're always working on the food fiber and fuel that we all rely on."
Matthews said this space was also a collaborative effort, bringing together experts from the Ohio Veterinary Medicine Association as well as horticulturalists and floriculturists.
“It goes into, one; showcasing Ohio's most important industry right and people understanding just how important agriculture is to their lives every single day," he said. "Going back to that food, fiber and fuel we all rely on and having it all in one space also showcases how much unity there is in agriculture.”
Ohio is home more than 200 different plants and species that are grown, raised and processed to feed the state, the nation and the world as a whole.
That industry is ever growing and changing and Matthews said the ImAgine exhibit will do the same to reflect the industry it was built off of.
“This is a significant investment to Ohio agriculture, to agricultural literacy and agricultural education," he said. "So we've just always been trying to champion that.”
Visitors can tour the new facility through Aug. 9 as the Ohio State Fair continues.
Baldridge said the center will also be open during other events at the Ohio Expo Center including the largest single-breed horse show in the world.
"Quarter Horse is the whole month of October, and that is the largest single-breed horse show in the world," he said. "All 50 states and many countries are represented. Folks are coming in here and showing the best of the best."
