ST. ADOLPHE, Man. — The University of Manitoba’s new Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre is hoping to improve urban consumers’ understanding of modern food production.
On Sept. 16, the university will open the centre, located at the university’s Glenlea Research Station south of Winnipeg.
“This isn’t a thing that we expect to see an overnight change…. (But) if the same schools are coming back every year with different classes, then I think we know we’re making an impact,” said Guy Robbins, visitors services manager at the centre.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
He previously worked at the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum in England before taking his new position.
“Further down the road, if we get a lot more students (taking) science subjects or agricultural objects, we’ll know there’s been a real impact.”
Robbins said the 8,300 sq. foot centre is unique, because it focuses on the science and technology of modern farming.
Campbell, the former owner of Landmark Feeds, was a major donor for the centre, which cost approximately $3 million.
Robbins said the centre’s objective is to present accurate information on modern agricultural practices that allows visitors to make up their own minds on the ethics and necessity of pesticides, sow crates and genetically modified crops.
“It will start many conversations. That’s what is needed,” said Kelly Funke, communications manager for the Manitoba Pork Council, which helped fund and design the centre.
The centre, which is focused on education and interaction, was designed to connect children of all ages to agricultural science and technology.
The discovery centre is divided into two sections: crop production and livestock production. The crop side includes a tractor simulator, where visitors can sample operating a combine and other types of machinery.
The primary display is a 20 metre long panel, which explains the various steps in crop development. Behind each section of panel, wheat plants and soil displays illustrate the stages of crop growth from germination to maturity.
The panels provide information on factors that affect crop development such as fertilizer, weather, genetics, disease and insects.
There are multiple-choice questions, fun facts and a weather monitor, which shows temperature, precipitation and other data from a weather monitor at the Glenlea Research Station.
The livestock side, which showcases the stages of hog production, is attached to the hog barns at the research station, part of the university’s National Centre for Livestock and the Environment. Windows let visitors see into the barns to view breeding sows, gestating animals, farrowing sows and piglets.
“People can’t see pigs and how they live, on an everyday basis because of biosecurity. So this allows us to literally put a window on pig production,” said Funke.
“That’s huge, because communicating what we do everyday is key to people understanding and accepting those practices.”
Visitors can use an ultrasound simulator on a scale model of a pig to see how many embryos are developing inside a sow.
Throughout the centre, there is also information on careers in food production.
The centre has an interactive monitor, which explores Manitoba agricultural exports. For instance, the monitor shows which countries buy Manitoba canola and how much these exports are worth to the province.
