The visitor services manager with the University of Manitoba’s Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre says feedback from the public suggests the facility is having a positive impact.
The Bruce D, Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, located at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station just south of Winnipeg, celebrated its first birthday this past Sunday.
The centre, which is built adjacent to the University’s swine research barn, features a variety of hands-on exhibits and displays including windows into the swine barn designed to tell the story how our food gets from the farm to our plates.
Guy Robbins, the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre’s visitor services manager, acknowledges building public awareness has required a lot of work but word of mouth is getting out.
People find it very interesting when they come here.
Most people say that they find out a lot about the processes, the science and the technology that’s involved in modern food.
We’re doing very well.
We’re getting a lot of school and youth groups coming through.
We’ve also had a very high use of the centre by industry groups, doing seminars, going out into the research station and looking at the activities there, that kind of thing.
We’ve also started doing some commercials on TV to get the general public more aware and, from that, we’ve seen a very visible bump in the number of the general public and families actually coming to the centre so that’s very encouraging.
From the feedback we get from them, I think they’re getting a lot from it.
Over five thousand visitors passed through the centre during its first year of operation and Robbins suggests, based on the response of visitors, the centre has had quite an impact on people as they learn about what it takes to produce food and the importance of food.
To learn more about the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre visit FFDC.Ca.
