Have you ever wondered where your food comes from? Ever tried to explain to the kids how their supper got from the farm to their plate? The Bruce D. Campbell Farm & Food Discovery Centre (FFDC) is an interactive tour facility created to educate adults and children of all ages about food, farming, and sustainability.
Situated just south of St. Adolphe on Highway 75, the facility is located at the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station. Its goal is to provide a fun way to get up close and personal with your food source, whether livestock or crops. Visitors can explore their many exciting exhibits, which provide details of food production from its beginning stages to the grocery store shelves.
Hands-on opportunities allow children to time their speed while attaching milking equipment to a model cow, or test their skills on the PS4 farming game. Large viewing windows overlook the inside of an actual hog production facility, from the birthing centre to the tiny baby piglets wrestling in their pens. Groups can learn about bread-making and taste the freshly baked products right out of the oven.
“We celebrated our fifth anniversary in fall of 2016,” says Myrna Grahn, Assistant Operations Manager of the Glenlea Research Station. “Last year we were just shy of [seeing] 7,000 visitors and students. The Glenlea Research Station celebrated 50 years in 2016 [and] our long-term crop rotational study reached its 25-year milestone, better known as our Organic Crop Study.”
Working alongside the University of Manitoba, the centre aims to create public awareness through an exploration of modern farming techniques, food production practices, and the science and technology behind modern-day farming. Manitoba is rich with agricultural industry and export. The FFDC’s programming helps bring a better understanding to the many ways the industry is providing healthy and sustainable food both locally and globally, while addressing the effect of agricultural practices on the environment.
Their mission statement reads: “Farmers are environmentalists who take good care of the land and take animal welfare seriously. Agriculture and food production make a significant contribution to the economic and social well-being of Canadians [while promoting] the importance of nutrition, healthy eating, and food safety.”
The centre is open to the general public during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from Tuesday to Saturday every week. The cost is a nominal $5 admission. Children and seniors can spend the day for only $3.50. Guests can choose the self-guided tour or opt for a guided tour at no extra charge with a group of 12 or more. Guided tours should be prebooked.
They offer year-round tours to school groups, 4-H clubs, Girl Guide and Boy Scout groups, youth groups, daycares, and homeschooling initiatives. They are busy all summer long with family-fun events and workshops.
