No Boots Required – Farm Days Come to COSI

8-14-12 (Columbus) – (Columbus) – COSI brings the farm to the city for the eighth year in a row, as Farm Days: Little Seeds, Big Tractors opens Wednesday, August 15th through Sunday, August 19th. During this event, more than 20 pieces of huge farming equipment will be arranged downtown on COSI’s English Plaza and Washington Blvd.

Visitors can climb into the cabs of tractors, a combine and even small farm equipment. Kids can test their driving skills on a pedal tractor obstacle course, try milking COSI’s fiberglass cow (Daisy), make a seed necklace and collect Farm Days trading cards to take home. Video stations emphasize the importance of agriculture technology to feed a growing world population as well as highlight the stories of local farmers who raise everything from sheep to soybeans.

Visitors will again get the chance to see baby chickens hatch and view a sheep being sheared to see for themselves how wool is produced. COSI’s popular Path of a Farmer game has been updated for even more fun. Visitors get a game card and collect stamps as they go through the seasons on a farm. Then they spin a wheel to see how the weather and market affect their farm profit (or loss!)

Did you know?

• Agriculture is Ohio's number one industry, contributing more than $93 billion worth of economic activity to our state each year.
• Each farmer in America produces enough food to feed 155 people. In 1940, each farmer in America provided for approximately 19 people.
• Corn is grown in more countries than any other crop and still the United States produces 41.56% of the world’s corn. Ethanol, made from the sugars in grains, is being used as an alternative fuel.
• It’s expected that in order to feed a growing world population, farmers will need to produce more food in the next 50 years than was produced in the previous 10,000 years combined.

Farm Days is open during normal COSI hours. Admission to this exhibit is included with regular COSI admission. This event is “Grown” and made possible by Bob Evans Farms, Dekalb, Franklin County Farm Bureau, and Franklin Equipment. Supported by The Ohio State University Extension and United Producers and media sponsor 92.3 WCOL.

COSI, the Center of Science and Industry located in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the most respected science centers in the nation — serving close to 30 million visitors since 1964. Parents Magazine named COSI the #1 Science Center for families in the country. COSI’s programs and world-class experiences inspire an interest in science encourage people to want to learn more about their world. Read more at cosi.org.