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FarmFood360° launches four new videos
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Canadians interested in learning more about how their food is produced have more opportunities available to them now at www.FarmFood360.ca. Four new Virtual Reality Tours, filmed throughout 2021 on mushroom, veal and grain farms – and research facilities operated by the University of Guelph – have been added to the popular website, joining the 18 farm and food processing tours already filmed and available for viewing. The tours were developed by Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) in partnership with Good in Every Grain, Mushrooms Canada, Ontario Genomics and Veal Farmers of Ontario. Using 360° cameras and virtual reality technology, the awardwinning FarmFood360° website gives Canadians the chance to tour real, working farms and food processing plants, all without putting on boots or biosecurity clothing. The mushroom farm tour visits a family-owned facility growing four million pounds of mushrooms each year. Farm owner Murray Good partnered with FFCO and Mushrooms Canada for the project. Said Good, “For many people, mushrooms are rather mysterious. I’ve always enjoyed hosting tours, as people are incredibly fascinated to learn about how fresh local mushrooms are grown. Growing mushrooms is one part science and one part art! As with many other farms during this time, we haven’t been able to offer in-person tours, which is why I was thrilled by the idea of hosting a virtual farm tour.” The second tour takes people through the barns of an Ontario veal farm. In the tour, the farm family shows how their veal cattle are fed and cared for. Jennifer Haley, Executive Director of Veal Farmers of Ontario, said, “Veal farming has a long history and plays an important and fundamental role in Canada’s agricultural sector; however, the industry can be the subject of misconceptions and questions by our consumers.” She added, “We’re delighted to partner with FFCO to open the doors to an Ontario veal farm and answer those questions directly. Our farmers are proud of their farms and animal care standards and we’re eager to show that.” A grain farm tour filmed in southwestern Ontario follows soybeans from planting through to harvest. “Grain farming in Ontario is challenging and rewarding. We are excited to work with FFCO to bring this project to fruition. Engaging video like this will help everyone feel like they are getting their boots on the ground and to see what happens in the fields of a soybean farm during spring planting, spraying and harvest; as well as all of the work that goes into making important crop care decisions,” said Victoria Berry, manager, communications at Grain Farmers of Ontario. In an interesting shift from the more traditional farm and food processing tours on the site, Ontario Genomics partnered on a tour that highlights the exciting and emerging field of genomic research in agriculture. Through a tour of a world class dairy research facility and interviews with research scientists at both Trent University and the University of Guelph, the project highlights research being done to increase food production, reduce stress on livestock thus improving animal welfare and improve the hardiness of crops like hazelnuts so that they can be grown in a cold Canadian climate. Dr. Christine Baes, a dairy cow researcher at the University of Guelph who participated in the project said, “Genomics, which is the study of DNA, plays a key role in scientific discovery and technology innovation. As we’ve seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it can also help address some of our most pressing challenges. In this video series we explore how genomics is being used to ensure Ontario and Canada have a secure food system for generations to come, while protecting our environment and constantly improving animal welfare.” The project was also funded, in part, through the Agri
Genomics can ensure Ontario has a secure food system. Filmmakers (above) delved into what genomics is all about as part of four new virtual reality tours being offered by FarmFood360° via Farm & Food Care Ontario.
Education
To inspire travel and recall memories along Ontario’s West Coast, Mandy Sinclair will launch Postcards from Huron County on January 11, 2022, with new episodes of the podcast releasing every two weeks until April 19, 2022. Host and recently-returned local, Mandy Sinclair, has created an eightpart podcast series that takes listeners on an intimate journey to Huron County, traditionally the territories of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Neutral peoples. Each episode delves into an aspect of the heritage and often lesser known history of the area, as told to Sinclair in conversation with historians and community members who have a close connection to each subject. Guests and topics featured in the series include Jenna McGuire on the Historic Saugeen Metis, board members sharing memories from their years volunteering with the Clinton Spring Fair, Sinead Cox speaking about the Home Children, David Yates on prohibition in Huron County, and a director and local who inspired characters in the Blyth Festival’s Wing Night at the Boot. “I grew up in Huron County and, after spending time in Morocco, returned to the area in July 2020. I began exploring the region’s nature trails and cycling through its small communities. As a naturally curious person, questions about the area’s history started to emerge. By chance, I stumbled upon a sign indicating the way to the Point Farms Hotel at Point Farms Provincial Park. The hotel’s immensity and former glory days amazed me, but I left wanting to know more – who stayed there? Where did they come from? What did they do while there? What did they eat? And so began the idea for Postcards from Huron County.” You are invited to preview the trailer of Postcards from Huron County on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and Stitcher. Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media. ◊
Postcards from Huron County is a new podcast which explores the history of Huron County.
Guelph is the new home for the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame gallery
The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame (OAHF) has recently relocated its gallery to a new home in Guelph.
The OAHF gallery has recently been installed at 1 Stone Road West, Guelph on the main floor, near the conference centre. This is the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) building located at the corner of Stone Road and Gordon Street in Guelph. The new gallery wall displays the two most recent years of inductees, along with sponsor and supporter information.
“We’re very excited to have our inductees so prominently displayed in the OMAFRA building,” said Kelly Daynard, current president of the OAHF. “The gallery has increased visibility and easy accessibility which allows us to better profile, and honour, past, current and future inductees.”
“It is the mission of (OAHF) to acknowledge, record and preserve the contributions made by leaders to the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industry and rural communities across the province,” said Daynard. “There isn’t a better home for the OAHF than the government building, where those who had an impact on Ontario agriculture can be showcased.”
Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, an official opening has not been possible.
The OAHF first opened in 1980 with nine inductees, before growing to what it is today. It was previously housed in Guelph at the Ontario AgriCentre since 2016, and in Milton for almost 40 years before that.
The next induction ceremony will take place on June 12, 2022. More information will be made available on the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame’s website at www.oahf.on.ca
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