Teachable Moments at the Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center

Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center helps visitors understand the past and present.

By Fred Hendricks
Published on May 7, 2021
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Fred Hendricks
A concrete silo provides a unique entrance to the Buckeye Agricultural Museum.

The Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center is dedicated to preserving agricultural history. An important part of that is educating the public about production agriculture.

When people patronize a farm market, for instance, they’re more aware that food is grown locally. “There is far less awareness of the food sources when shoppers buy through grocery stores,” says Paul Locher, the museum’s curatorial advisor and a member of its board of directors.

Helping visitors gain an appreciation of agriculture is a daunting challenge, but one the museum embraces. “With only 1.5 percent of the population engaged in farming, it creates a limitation on their ability to get the word out about food production,” says Ron Grosjean, museum board president. “We hope the museum will create interest among people to learn about the equipment utilized by farmers in the past.”

Located in Wooster, Ohio, the museum showcases Ohio agricultural history. Museum exhibits span 150 years, from 1800 to 1950. “The museum sees itself as ‘Ohio’s Official Agriculture Museum,'” Paul says.

As visitors view the museum’s thousands of artifacts, they get a sense of the transition of Ohio land from unspoiled wilderness to productive fields. “The museum presents the evolution of farm equipment along with evolving methods and technology through time,” Paul says. “And that changing agriculture scene fosters a more thorough understanding of its past for future generations.”

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