The Yorkton Exhibition Association has embarked on a new project which is forging new ground for the long-time organization.
JeanAnne Teliske, General Manager with the YEA, explained they are taking part in creating a new film on oats.
The idea came through Naomie Paley with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said Teliske, adding she had seen a film the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association had done.
Paley said the idea is not new, but there are still many avenues to explore, noting in Ontario commodity education films on dairy and cheese have been created.
The idea began to be bounced around by the YEA because the idea of a film dedicated to educating youth and consumers was seen as a positive one.
“It’s new, innovative. It’s something for the exhibition association to be involved in to promote agriculture,” said Teliske.
The big step was determining what aspect of agriculture to address in the film, but with a local processor, the decision was soon made to promote oats.
“We wanted something local to Yorkton and area,” said Teliske.
That choice opened the doors to a couple of additional funding partners as both Grain Millers and the Prairie Oat Growers Association came on board, said Teliske.
The film will be a short one, five or six minutes, covering all aspects of oat production.
“We’re trying to tell the story from field to table,” said Teliske.
The film will have two versions, a standard one, and one using virtual reality technology, with special headsets being bought so wearers can see the film in 3D, virtual reality.
The tech will allow, as an example, the wearer to “stand inside a grain bin and see it from every angle,” said Teliske. “…. We are kind of on the cusp of this new technology.”
The funding partnership will purchase 20 headsets. Teliske said the headsets will be used for trade show promotions, and for students through Agriculture in the Classroom. She added they held discussions with the school group to make sure the finished film hit upon the right things to fit curriculum.
Paley said it is the educational opportunity of the film, for both students and consumers which make the project so appealing to those involved.
“It will be pretty cool … to take it into the classroom and let them experience it,” she said.
The first phase of filming took place on a Foam Lake area farm recently, and the crew will return later this fall to take footage of production at Grain Millers.
The final product, which will be posted on various online platforms for public access, is expected to be released early in 2018.
