Shiftology Virtual Dairy Farm Tour

From pooping pigs to calving cows to yakking yaks, students across the country have had the chance to see all that and more thanks to a rural Ohio communication firm with a huge following.

Shift•ology Communications in Springfield, led by Farm Bureau member Melanie Wilt, hosts Virtual Farm Trips — unscripted, live visits to farms for classrooms coast to coast. Started in 2015 with an Ohio Pork Council trip to a pig farm, more than a million students now have participated in the field trips without stepping foot outside their school doors.

“It’s a way for farmers to have their voice out there, to get across that they care for their animals and produce a high quality product,” said Dan Toland, director of virtual experiences for Shift•ology. “It’s not scripted but it’s organized, and it comes through like a television show.”

Virtual farm tours in Ohio

As of early December 2023, the company had hosted 381 virtual farm field trips involving about 60,000 registered teachers nationwide. Because the events are live, students can ask questions during the events. And because technology has advanced, multiple camera angles can be used to get close with a cow or to take a ride on a combine harvesting soybeans.

Commodity groups and other organizations sponsor the trips, so they’re free to students and schools. They’re also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook so they can be watched from home, and they’re recorded and available at the company’s website VirtualFarmTrips.com.

Much has changed since the trips started.

Shift•ology used Google Hangouts as its platform the first year, then switched to Zoom to improve reliability and access. Initially, Toland had to train each teacher individually how to access the trips, but technological advances and educator knowledge has eliminated that step.

Toland and another Shift•ology employee handle the production side remotely from their home offices, while a moderator handles the on-site equipment at the farm while the farmer leads the tour. Multiple camera angles can be used, cameras can zoom into the action, and gimbals – handheld stabilizers – keep the video streams steady.

The success of the Virtual Farm Trips has prompted Shift•ology clients to hire the company to handle other live events, such as conferences, board meetings and webinars. One memorable one was a Cheese Board Chat, sponsored by Midwest Dairy, where participants received a box of cheeses to try during the meeting.

Virtual farm tour studentsWilt said the company’s national client base is primarily agricultural-related, including commodity groups and agribusinesses, while its local client base also includes rural healthcare and education.

By doing evaluations with students and teachers before and after trips, Shift•ology has found that trust in agriculture increases after the trips and that’s why the virtual trips are vital.

“It gives the students a better understanding of where their food comes from and everybody gets a front row seat,” Toland said. “We really move the needle in their overall opinion of the industry and that’s a great benefit, and that’s coming straight from the farmer.”

Interested in hosting a Virtual Farm Trip?

Shift•ology brings agriculture to life through Virtual Farm Trips by assisting with planning, production and support, while your organization or association contributes farmers, special guests, moderators, and funding. To learn more about hosting or sponsoring Virtual Farm Trips, visit virtualfarmtrips.com/explore-partnerships or email [email protected].

 

The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Giving farmers a voice
The plan we are on is great. It’s comparable to my previous job's plan, and we are a sole proprietor.
Kevin Holy's avatar
Kevin Holy

Geauga County Farm Bureau

Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
Gretchan Francis's avatar
Gretchan Francis

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Bringing the farm back to life
We really appreciate what Farm Bureau has done to get people interested in this line of work and workforce development and getting people interested in this industry.
Jody Brown Boyd's avatar
Jody Brown Boyd

Brown's Family Farm Market

Finding farm labor
We work terrifically with the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau, hosting at least one to two outreach town hall events every year to educate new farmers and existing farmers on traditional CAUV and woodlands.
David Thomas's avatar
David Thomas

Ashtabula County Auditor

CAUV: Past, present and future
Because we are younger farmers just starting out, Farm Bureau has a lot of good opportunities and resources to help us grow in the future.
Hannah Kiser's avatar
Hannah Kiser

Sandusky County Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau involvement
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
Chad Ruhl's avatar
Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

Select Partner Program
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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