By: Jarred Shellhouse
Agricultural Communication
Junior
County fairs have always had a special place in my heart. No matter where I went, every county fair was filled with the smell of fried food, children laughing and screaming on the rides, and of course, my favorite part, lots of animals. I think it is probably safe to assume that a lot of small-town people share their favorite part with me. Through 4-H and FFA, showing animals became my favorite part of the fair, and one of my favorite parts of the whole summer.
This summer was a little bit different. I spent it preparing for the fair, like I did when I was younger. However, I spent this summer preparing for the Ohio State Fair, instead of my county fair. Instead of rationing feed, walking and washing animals, and cleaning the tack, I helped plan out the Ag & Hort Building at the 2015 Ohio State Fair.
Luckily, I worked on a team with two other interns. We gathered ideas from Agro-Culture Liquid’s IQ Hub in Michigan, Lucky Ladd Farms in Tennessee, and from GROW Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. We wanted to provide an interactive, agricultural exhibit that would teach youth about the vast agriculture industry.
My internship encompassed some public relations work, graphic design, event planning and social media, and so much more. Ohio Farm Bureau gave me a chance to teach others about the agriculture industry, but I also learned a lot about it as well. Our entire summer of planning was put to the test during the 12 days of the Ohio State Fair, but it was the fair that pushed me to my limits and showed me everything that I was capable of doing. Years ago, the county fair taught me that I might have a place in agriculture, but this summer, the state fair taught me that I can grow a career in it.
