Keeping Local Traditions Alive During COVID-19 with Virtual Farm Tours
Extension Education
Morgan Pinkerton
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Agent
UF/IFAS Extension
Sanford
Abstract
In Seminole County, Florida, Farm Tour is a long-time tradition, held for over 20 years, to encourage support of local farms and educate stakeholders on agriculture. Historically, participants attended an in-person educational tour of local farms, but in 2020, this event did not occur due to transition of extension faculty and the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the community expressed strong interest and support for continuing the Farm Tour tradition. In 2021, due to continued COVID-19 precautions, Farm Tour pivoted to a virtual format for the very first time. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension Seminole County developed six high-quality videos in collaboration with Seminole County Government TV (SGTV). Each video included farmer-led content on topics like organic agriculture, agritourism, livestock, the nursery industry, pollinators and more. Short (<5 min) videos were also paired with an educational blog that dove deeper into the topics. Content was shared and promoted across multiple social media platforms during a week-long event in late Spring. A follow-up survey was used to measure outcomes. The 2021 Seminole County Virtual Farm Tour reached over 2,700 people which greatly exceeded the average 40-50 people at in-person Farm Tours in the past. In a follow-up survey, 100% of survey respondents (n=67) adopted at least one practice to support local agriculture after viewing the Virtual Farm Tour (ie. 83.6% purchased more local agricultural products, 71.6% helped to protect honey bees and other pollinators, 65.7% checked the label of produce in the store to see where it was grown, 55.2% participated in an agritourism activity, and 44.7% encouraged youth to explore careers in agriculture). The 2021 Seminole County Virtual Farm Tour used a novel approach to keep the Farm Tour tradition alive and led to the development of long-lasting educational content focused on local agriculture. Feedback from farmers and viewers was extremely positive and indicated a strong desire for more virtual Farm Tours. Without a doubt, a virtual component will continue to be a part of the Farm Tour tradition into the future.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: Morgan Pinkerton, James Yarborough
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Pinkerton, M. Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Seminole County, Florida, 32773
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Yarborough, J. Livestock/Natural Resources Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Seminole/Orange County, Florida, 32773