In mid-2020, Manitoba Pork helped refurbish the 10-year-old swine exhibit at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre (FFDC). The upgrade includes new signage featuring bold primary colours and new imagery and content that will provide visitors with a fresh look and better engage people while telling Manitoba’s pork production story. 
“It’s open for business,” said Susan Riese manager of PR and Consumer Marketing Programs. “FFDC looks forward to hosting tours in this space once COVID-19 restrictions lessen.” 
Riese said the Farmer’s Food Discovery Center is marking its 10th anniversary, thus the upgrade. Also adding a couple of freestanding activities, such as our pig poop tic-tac-toe and the ‘everything but the oink’ display and ‘what’s the word in the barn,’ people can uncover doors and learn about some of the language used on farms.  
While still restricted, the center is open throughout the week, but people can’t walk into the door without make a booking, call ahead, and private groups of up to 15 can tour the facility. 
It’s exciting with so many Manitobans now two generations removed from the farm; there’s no shortage of misinformation available. This is an excellent opportunity for people to learn about food production and how farmers raise pigs. 
Riese said Manitoba Pork’s education and promotional approach is three-pronged, including online resources like kid’s activity sheets and some short videos.  In normal times, Manitoba Pork would use booths to display and engage at public events, like Discover AG in the City and the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon. 
“The most important relationship or approach that we have, and so rewarding, is our partnership with the Farm and Food Discovery Center and also our support for Ag in the Classroom.” 
It is so good to think back on doing wide gamut stuff and rewarding to sit down with the little ones and show them from where their food comes exactly and adults too. The number of people with a direct connection or an indirect connection with agriculture is, it’s waning.  
“To counter again, that the misinformation that’s out there, whether that’s through social media or on the websites; you can’t always believe everything you read.” 
And Riese and her colleagues monitor during different times, speaking with people in person to counter and answer their questions and resolve any misconceptions they might have. 
It’s more difficult when these things happen online and through social media, but their website is pretty extensive and tries to drive people there. People can watch videos of pigs and barns and learn about farmers raise their pigs; there’s no better way than to see it firsthand at places like Farm and Food Discovery Center.  
“It’s real – you get a glimpse into a real working hog farm.” 
With the fallout from COVID and the pandemic, it is even more important to spread the message of healthy, safe, and readily available food because the food prices keep going higher.  
That’s correct and across the board too said, Riese. That brings up another interesting point about food insecurity, which is pretty scary, seeing some panic buying during COVID, initially. At the same time, people and industry alike keep wasting precious food heard often in the news.  
“It’s super important for people to know where their food comes from and produced. The well-educated public will contribute to the whole food system’s success and help keep our food safe and affordable. So, the more AG literate the public is to meet that challenge of feeding the world; and what is that number, nine billion by 2050 – I think that helps.” 
She said for the public to take the opportunity to visit FFDC over spring break with the family, call ahead and book a spot and visit the website, for any information, including the activity sheets and videos. •
— By Harry Siemens