Stepping foot on a dairy farm without leaving the classroom is possible with the help of live video. The American Dairy Association North East has been hosting virtual tours for students across the country, and recently, they showed off a couple of farms in New York.

One of those farms is Elmer Richards & Sons Dairy in Skaneateles.

What You Need To Know

  • Students are able to visit dairy farms without leaving their classrooms with live video tours

  • One dairy farmer said it's important for people to know where their food comes from

  • American Dairy Association North East said as many as 25,000 kids from 1,000 classrooms across the country watched a live stream from Skaneateles

ADANE said as many as 25,000 kids from 1,000 classrooms across the country watched a live stream from Skaneateles. They were able to see things that most people don’t get a chance to witness up close like a milking parlor, barn or calves.

“A lot of animal agriculture is not super open to the public for safety and biosecurity reasons and whatever else. So, this is a really good tool … I would not be able to host 25,000 people here, but I can make videos that, however many people can watch,” said Marcus Richards, a third-generation dairy farmer and co-owner of Elmer Richards & Sons Dairy.

One tour is designed for elementary aged kids, and another for middle and high schoolers.

“Trying to reach out and educate youth a little bit about where food comes from and how that whole process works. And a lot of young people aren’t on or even near farms. So, to understand where their healthy food is coming from is really important,” said Richards. “I think like many industries, finding talented people is a big challenge. So, if somebody saw this and grows up to work in some form of agriculture, I would say that that's a win.”