Click on a trip that interests you from either the trip offerings or live trip schedule section above. You will receive more details about the trip and be directed to an online registration form. Be prepared to submit contact information, and the number of classes and students participating, and have a calendar handy to make sure trip dates and times fit your schedule. Once your registration is submitted, we will contact you to confirm your trip date and time and provide further details.

Note: Virtual Farm Trips are developed by our partners with specific audiences in mind. As such, the content of each tour is also tailored toward these specific audiences. Please note the age levels associated with trips as you register for them to ensure it is a good fit for your audience.

In the weeks leading up to your trip, you will be provided full details and instructions to help you prepare for your trip, including technology assistance. However, we've included some details below so you'll know what to expect.

Virtual Farm Trips are conducted using the Zoom video conferencing platform. You can test your connection to Zoom at anytime by clicking here. You may be required to download a small plug-in for the program to work on your computer the first time. 

For maximum engagement, it is highly-recommended (though not required) that you have a webcam and microphone connected (internally or externally) for a trip. If these items are not available, you may still participate in a trip where you can hear/see the farmer and submit questions via chat.

Note: Some schools/businesses have restrictions on what programs can be downloaded and used on computers. You may wish to consult your IT personnel as you prepare for your trip to ensure you are able to participate.

Virtual Farm Trips are typically conducted in one of two ways:

1. Smaller, meeting-style trips, where up to about a dozen different audiences join at one time and have their webcams and microphones turned on. This allows for direct visual and audio interaction between audiences and the farmer and moderator, including live video Q&A sessions.

2. Large-scale webinar-style trips, where many audiences are connected at one time. Webcams and microphones are not turned for audiences during this style of trip. However, audiences will still be able to submit comments and questions to be addressed live during the trip by a farmer and/or moderator. 

The style of each trip is determined by hosting partners, and will be relayed to registrants in the weeks leading up to each trip.

Note: You are never required to use a webcam and/or microphone during a trip, but it is highly recommended for the most engaging experiences. If a webcam and microphone is not available, you may still participate in live trips where you can see/hear the farmer and moderator and submit comments and questions via chat.

Within a couple weeks of your trip, you will receive an email with complete details, tutorials and instructions for preparing, connecting to and participating in your trip. It is recommended you have IT personnel present as you use these instructions to test/prepare for your trip. If you experience difficulties while testing and preparing for your trip, individual assistance will be available via the instructions you'll receive.

In some cases, particularly if you are participating in smaller-scale trips where microphones and webcams will be turned on, you may be asked to schedule a test connection with us for one-on-one assistance and preparation for your trip. 

As a courtesy, we ask all registered participants to please be prompt in replying to outreach messages and communication to ensure that you'll be able to participate in your scheduled Virtual Farm Trip.

Note: In rare cases, your computer may not be able to connect using the provided instructions. However, you will be able to connect using a limited interface through your browser. We will provide instructions for doing so if determined necessary.

A typical Virtual Farm Trip lasts 30-45 minutes depending upon the audience, but may not be limited to those timeframes.

You can expect to connect to your trip 5-10 minutes ahead of the start time to ensure all is working well. This will be followed by a brief welcome and introduction, followed by a short "show and tell" chat and tour with a farmer and moderator.  The remainder of your trip will be devoted to live question and answer sessions, with opportunities in many cases for participants to be on camera and ask questions directly to a farmer. 

Note: Virtual Farm Trips are developed by our partners with specific audiences in mind. As such, the content of each tour is also tailored toward these specific audiences. Please note the age levels associated with trips as you register for them to ensure it is a good fit for your audience.

Certainly! All Virtual Farm Trips are recorded, with many of them posted online for viewing. Most recordings are typically available within one week of the completion of a trip.

To request a recording of an upcoming or past trip, click on a trip offering or scheduled live trip that you are interested in and go to the registration form. When completing the registration form, you will find an option to request a recording of a specific trip or a past trip.

When your form is submitted, we will contact you with a link to a recording, or details for when you will receive your recording.

Note: All who participate in a live trip will receive the recording of that specific trip once it is uploaded and ready to view.

Click here to contact our Virtual Farm Trips manager directly or send a detailed inquiry form for reply.