Screenshot from a Virtual Farm Trip hosted by American Dairy Association North East and produced by Shift•ology Communication's Virtual Farm Trips program.

Virtual Farm Trips® Bring the Farm to 1.5 Million Viewers and Counting

 

As traditional farm field trips for school-aged children have become less common, Shift•ology Communication has helped agriculture organizations connect with over 1.5 million students, consumers and other niche audiences to farms through free, live Virtual Farm Trips® (VFTs).

“Show me a farmer that will allow us to have 14,000 students on his farm—it’s not going to happen, but we can do that with a virtual trip,” said Krista McCoon, AgVenture coordinator for San Joaquin County, California. “This is the closest way of getting the kids to the farm without taking them there. And that’s the bottom line.”

Launched in 2015 with a single Ohio pig farm VFT, the program has blossomed into a platform, helping dozens of organizations nationwide connect tens of thousands of students at a time directly with farmers and agriculture experts for live video tours from their barns, fields, equipment and other real-world work environments. Over 250,000 students were registered for a VFT during the 2023-2024 school year alone.

“Everybody has a story to be told, and this is one of the most creative and effective ways to do it,” said Brooke Williams, director of communications for American Dairy Association Indiana. “The little things experienced during a live tour make learning more fun, and make such a big impression.”

VFTs cover everything from conventional agriculture, such as beef, dairy, grain, pork and poultry, to specialty farms and unique topics including but not limited to fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, bees, nuts, Christmas trees, renewable-energy farms, yaks and much more, all for free exploration at VirtualFarmTrips.com. Unlike highly-scripted and edited videos, these live events foster real-time interaction, allowing audiences to ask questions and shape the conversation—bringing transparency and trust to agriculture.

But it can be an overwhelming venture for trip-hosting organizations to start and manage. 

“There are so many logistics and tiny little details that go into planning, organizing, promoting and producing a completely live virtual event, and doing so from rural locations can present its own unique set of challenges,” said Shift•ology’s Director of Virtual Experiences, Dan Toland. He’s been behind the wheel of the program that has hosted nearly 500 live virtual experiences, and is continually refining processes to ensure seamless, high-quality experiences for trip-hosting partners and their audiences. 

“Our partners supply the funding, farms, and talent, and we take on the technical and logistical burdens,” said Toland, who ensures each trip is set up properly, is well-promoted and communicated, that partners are fully prepared and that the VFT operates smoothly, is visually appealing and highly engaging. “This allows our partners to focus on what they do best— tell their agriculture story.”

Shift•ology integrates advanced production techniques to make VFTs feel more like interactive television programs than typical video calls, and also provides its partners key metrics, evaluation and analytics to see where they are reaching goals and moving the needle with their audiences.

It’s that knowledge and expertise that continues to earn the program praise and trust from its partners, and keeps teachers coming back for more every year.

Some unique live trips available this spring include:

About Virtual Farm Trips

Virtual Farm Trips brings agriculture to life through free, engaging, LIVE and on-demand virtual field trips to a wide variety of farms across the country, produced in an unscripted, unfiltered and unrestricted manner that provides an authentic look into everyday farm life. VFTs are funded by forward-thinking agriculture organizations in partnership with Shift•ology Communication. Register for live trips, watch trips on demand and learn more about the program at VirtualFarmTrips.com.