It’s a great tool to use to engage people in discussions, says the president of the SCA
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
A Saskatchewan farm organization is using virtual reality to transfer visitors at the Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, Sask. to a local cattle farm.
Anyone who visits the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association’s (SCA) booth can put on the headset and receive a 360-degree look at a cattle farm.
The experience is designed to attract Agribition visitors who may not be familiar with beef production.
“This is an excellent idea because most of these kids here have never been to a farm,” Larry Spratt, a producer from neat Melfort, Sask., told Global News yesterday.
In addition to being surrounded by cattle, users will hear a farmer explain the roles of other family members on the farm, the cattle’s lifecycle and animal husbandry practices. They’ll also get to see a feedlot and learn what the animals are fed.
“It’s one thing to talk to someone, but when they’re seeing the animals first-hand and reaching out to touch them, knowing full well the animals aren’t there, it becomes an engaging, memorable experience for them and sparks conversation,” Ryder Lee, president of the SCA, told Farms.com today.
The virtual reality experience is another important item in the SCA’s toolbox to help farmers tell their stories to consumers.
Attending trade shows surrounded by farmers is easy because everyone understands food production, said Lee. Shows like Agribition that bring in members of the urban community are where farmers need to do the most work, he explained.
“We go to home shows and other (events) like that, so we don’t just talk amongst ourselves. (We can) have those engaging conversations with consumers,” he said.