Farm Tours
The farm tour is an excellent way to reach a public that is no longer
familiar with farming. It provides an opportunity for non-farmers (or
farmers from another commodity) to see and learn first hand how and
why things are done. It also provides a solid base of good will and
increased public confidence in farmers and animal products. Whether
you bring the public to your farm or the farm to the public (ie. farm
displays), a successful event requires careful planning. This brochure
has been developed to help.
THINGS TO CONSIDER IN PLANNING A FARM TOUR
Set Your Limits
Generally, tours on the farm should be aimed at carefully targeted,
well-screened audiences. Your farm operation may be appropriate for
certain sized groups or certain age levels but not others. You may only
have time for tours at certain times of the year, or may want to limit
the number of tours you give in any one year.
Choose Your Audience
Schools (kindergarten through university) and youth groups (church,
4-H, or scouting organizations) usually find farm tours wonderful field
trips. Often the teacher or leader can tie the farm visit to what they
are teaching in their classroom or meetings.
Senior citizen or service clubs (which often include local business
and community leaders) may appreciate an opportunity to see the workings
of a present day farm business. And remember, if farming interests are
seen as crucial to community interests, local citizens will support
them.
Farm tours also offer colourful photo and feature story opportunities
for journalists and help to better prepare them for future agricultural
and food related news stories. If you invite journalists, plan the story
you want the media to tell and do your homework. Follow the guidelines
in OFAC's "How to Deal With the Media" brochure. While it
is advisable to have a "no photos" policy for farm visitors,
exceptions should be considered for bona fide media under tightly controlled
situations. A picture speaks volumes - but keep in mind those words
can be positive or negative.
Elected officials and government bureaucrats can benefit from the insight
gained from a farm tour when making decisions that affect the farming
community. Consider timing your tour to coincide with a larger Ag Awareness
event or organize a multi-farm tour and invite elected officials to
talk with local constituents and the media.
Consider Your Costs
Costs will depend on the extensiveness of the tour. However, just preparing
for and conducting a tour requires time and labour that take you away
from other things. Advertising and promotion, special equipment (like
barriers to block off restricted areas, portable toilets, signage),
additional liability insurance, hand out materials, and product samples
will all add to your costs. Check with your local Ag Awareness/Agriculture
in the Classroom (AITC) committees, provincial commodity groups or local
agri-businesses to see if funds or materials are available. Consider
charging a nominal fee per person to help off-set your expenses.
Farm Safety Comes First
Take a critical look at your operation and identify all potential safety
hazards. Equipment and storage areas, access to animals, ponds and lagoons
are all potential safety hazards to those unfamiliar with farm surroundings.
Identify all off-limit areas and use signage, locks and barriers to
restrict access. Check with your insurance agent regarding liability
insurance. Ensure that tour groups (especially children) are adequately
chaperoned. Never allow people to wander on their own. Begin all tours
by explaining the ground rules. Contact the Farm Safety Association
http://www.fsai.on.ca/default.htm for tips and advice. If providing
food samples, be sure you meet local public health regulations.
Promote a Positive Image
Be proud of your role as an animal caretaker and a livestock producer.
Be positive, not defensive. After all, YOU help feed the world and you
do it with care.
Clean working conditions and a sense of pride in one's farm are a psychological
benefit to any farmer. A neat attractive farm also creates a positive
image with visitors and neighbours.
Keep physical facilities in good repair.
Keep weeds and grass mowed.
Provide good drainage.
Practice good fly, rodent and waste control pro-grams.
Do a little extra for tours: make sure facilities are bright, clean
and tidy and free of hazards.
Plan your farm chores around tours and avoid unsightly chores like spreading
manure the same day of a tour.
Take an imaginary tour of your operation through an outsider's eyes,
or better yet invite a city friend to do it for you.
Proper care of farm animals is essential if farmers are to maintain
the respect of the public. It takes people to manage animals properly,
not just good equipment.
Follow your Recommended Code of Practice.
Stay up to date on changing standards for housing and handling requirements.
Take advantage of livestock specialists, veterinarians and nutritionists
to ensure your animals receive the latest and best that research and
experience can offer.
Follow good animal husbandry practices in handling, transporting and
holding livestock.
Be an agricultural ambassador. The most effective public relations activities
are those that reinforce widely held beliefs:
that farmers are good, hard working, honest, friendly people;
that they provide abundant, wholesome and affordable food;
that they do so responsibly and professionally;
that the family farm remains the backbone of Canadian agriculture
To the public a farmer is a farmer, so remember that in their eyes you
are representing all farmers. At the same time, don't be a source of
misinformation:
Speak on what you know and limit your comments to your farm.
Refer questions you're not sure about.
Don't build yourself (or your sector) up by deflecting criticism somewhere
else.
Make it Relevant and Make it Understandable
Speak the layman's language - many urban people aren't used to agricultural
jargon.
Talk in terms that your visitors will understand: Cartons of milk rather
than kilograms of milk, birthing pens rather than farrowing stalls,
neutering rather than castration.
Make comparisons that are relevant to their experiences. By comparing
disease outbreaks in livestock to chicken pox in people, for example,
you can illustrate that even with the best precautions there are still
diseases we can't prevent or control.
Don't assume that the facts speak for themselves and don't expect people
to see the obvious!
Develop a set program and verbal presentation for every tour.
Tailor your presentation to your audience: children for example want
to know about the animals and their life cycles, businessmen want to
know about the business side of farming.
Pick a theme or key messages such as sustainable agriculture, food quality,
or animal care.
Explain how and why things are done on your farm and point out the obvious.
Point out the shade, water and feed available to animals.
Highlight animal housing that protects them from predators, provides
climate control, and easy access to fresh feed and water.
Explain restraining devices or point out the lack of them.
Point out practices that make birth less stressful and protect the young
- birthing pens for example.
Discuss medical care given to livestock - vaccines to protect against
disease and medication to cure illness.
Describe animal-handling practices necessary to the health and welfare
of the animal - beak-trimming, tail-docking, needle teeth trimming,
dehorning, neutering, ear-marking, tattooing and ear tagging.
Discuss feeding procedures and basics of animal nutrition.
Always allow plenty of time for questions and address common misconceptions
in your prepared presentation.
Make it Memorable
For many visitors this may be the first (and only) opportunity to see
and experience a farm. Think about how to involve the public and how
to make factual learning fun with hands-on activities or visual aids
or hand-outs. Milking or shearing demonstrations, egg grading or butter
making, or a ride on the hay wagon all add to a memorable and positive
farm tour experience.
THINGS TO CONSIDER IN SETTING UP A FARM DISPLAY
Taking the farm to the public rather than inviting the public
to the farm offers many advantages, including reaching large numbers
of people in a short period of time. While the recommendations for farm
tours apply, farm displays also raise some special considerations.
Take Advantage of Established Events
Coordinating a farm display with an established event such as an annual
fair or Ag Awareness event can help increase their visibility and appeal.
Many Agriculture in the Classroom and Ag Awareness committees are holding
annual "school days" where commodity stations are set-up for
students to visit. Some of the major fairs now include a "FARM"
display, which may or may not include school tours. The animals brought
for exhibition automatically promote strong interest and serve as visual
aids for teaching the public about agriculture and food production.
Present an Accurate Picture
A farm animal exhibit should reflect today's farms and farming practices.
Petting zoos or "Old McDonald's Farms", while appealing to
the public, do little to foster understanding and appreciation of present
day agriculture.
Exhibit mature animals (with their young if appropriate) in accurate
settings: sows and litters in birthing pens; dairy cattle in stalls;
layers in cages.
The Recommended Codes of Practice should be followed in designing such
displays. Signage should indicate this.
Agri-businesses or commodity groups may be willing to help by providing
the equipment, supplies and animals needed to set-up such a display.
Inviting the local humane society and/or Agriculture inspector to inspect
and comment on the display is encouraged.
Animal Wellbeing Comes First
It is crucial to ensure that the needs of animals are met. This includes
adequate bedding, ventilation, lighting and temperatures. Provision
of feed and water as well as routine chores should be scheduled to meet
the animals needs not to accommodate visitors.
Ensure that only qualified caretakers are
put in charge.
Due to the foreign atmosphere such surroundings present it is advisable
to deliver animals ahead of the event's opening to allow them time to
acclimatize.
With larger animals in particular it may be advisable to use show animals
which are used to crowds and to frequent handling.
Any animals that show signs of illness or distress should be removed
immediately and returned home for care.
When handling animals maintain an even temperament. The compassion and
ease shown in handling livestock is the best possible testimony to animal
welfare.
Communication is Key
An unmanned animal exhibit is a recipe for disaster, both from a potential
public and animal safety point of view and for fostering misunderstanding
or misconceptions. It is important that knowledgeable trained people
be assigned to talk about the animals and farming practices. There is
no one better than the men and women who raise such animals. Not only
does the public get to see and learn about the animals but they get
to meet a real live farmer too. Communication training is important
and can be provided through your commodity group or OFAC.
Informative, fact-based signage and written materials are also important
to further explain farming practices and your particular commodity.
Make sure that any written information is both accurate and understandable.
Colourful and attractive displays and materials along with games, draws
or hand-outs all help to attract and stop traffic.
Supplementing an animal exhibit with an information booth on nutrition
or the environment or a by-product display is a good way to round out
the picture and tell a complete story about agriculture and food production.
RELY ON DEMONSTRATION FARMS OR AG COLLEGES
An increasing number of Boards of Education are establishing demonstration
farms. In addition most agriculture colleges and research stations hold
organized tours or open houses. Consider lending your time and expertise
to these events.
HELP IS AVAILABLE
Talk to others who have held farm tours or farm displays for their advice
and suggestions.
Work with your local Ag Awareness or AITC committees.
Contact your provincial commodity group for resources, contacts, materials
and training or advice.
Work with local agri-business and/or area farmers.
This information provided by Ontario Farm Animal Council http://www.ofac.org
