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Check it out: A 360-degree look at Ontario livestock farms


January 18, 2022  by  Bree Rody

Last week, Farm and Food Care Ontario expanded its immersive initiative, Farm Food 360.

While the registered charity has always strived to give non-farming Ontarians a figurative 360-degree understanding of where their food comes from, Farm Food 360 allows it to deliver a literal 360-degree view. This January, it added four new VR tours, filmed throughout 2021 on Ontario farms, including at a veal farm, as well as a University of Guelph research facility. This adds to the 18 farm and food processing tours already available on the Farm Food 360 website.

Partners for the latest videos include the Veal Farmers of Ontario and Ontario Genomics, as well as Good in Every Grain and Mushrooms Canada, which assisted with the grain and mushroom videos.

The videos are created using 360-degree cameras and van be viewed either on mobile my moving a device around freely, or on desktop by clicking and dragging the viewfinder. The veal farm tour shows how cattle are fed and cared for. Jennifer Haley, executive director of Veal Farmers of Ontario, said in a statement, “The [veal] 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.”

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In the research tour video, Ontario Genomics highlights emerging research being done to increase food production and reduce stress on livestock.

In 2021, the website received one million visitors. A new educator resource is in development by Agriculture in the Classroom Canada and will be live in February, 2022, providing curriculum-based classroom activities for each tour.

Research tour:

Veal farm tour:

For more tours including dairy, beef and dairy processing, click here.

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