Farmscape for September 15, 2011   (Episode 3664)

The University of Manitoba's new Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre is expected to ply a key role in bridging the gap between those who produce our food and those who consume it.

The University of Manitoba's Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, located at the Glenlea Research Station, opens officially tomorrow.

The centre is designed to tell the story of the science involved in food production.

Dr. Karin Wittenberg, the associate dean research with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, notes the infrastructure at the Glenlea Research Station allows systems based research integrating animal and crop production practices.

Clip-Dr. Karin Wittenberg-University of Manitoba:
That infrastructure is great for the research we do, it's great for technology transfer and graduate student training but there's a whole new dimension that I think is increasingly important and that's our ability to communicate with the people that consume the food, the people that make decisions about what food to buy and people who are interested in things like health of their bodies, health of the environment and health of animals.

It was out of that consideration that the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre arose.

I think there was a recognition among many that this kind of information was important to the public.

There was also a recognition that it's not necessarily something that you want to teach.

It's something that people sometimes like to learn by experience and so the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre has as one of its goals the development of programming and exhibits that are fun, that are interactive, that give people a very comfortable atmosphere in which they can learn about food, where it comes from, how it's produced.

Dr. Wittenberg observes our public has a reasonably good understanding of food but not so much knowledge about how food is produced but certainly a keen interest to learn more and that's where the new centre targets most of its exhibits and programming.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

-The opening is set for 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with official program stating at 2:00 pm. 

       * Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council