Explore the journey of apples and field tomatoes in new virtual reality tours

Food and farming is coming to life with two new virtual reality tours of apple orchards and field tomatoes, now available at www.FarmFood360.ca. 

Using state-of-the-art 360-degree cameras and virtual reality technology, the tours bring farm fields and orchards to life. Viewers can follow each crop’s journey from planting to bloom, through to harvesting and processing, while hearing directly from the farmers who grow them. 

A new virtual experience takes viewers to Algoma Orchards, an apple orchard in Bowmanville, Ontario, to explore the full growing cycle of apples from spring blossoms to fall harvest, and all that comes after. 

The tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at apple farming practices such as pollination, summer pruning, picking, packing, cider processing, and controlled atmosphere storage. Visitors learn how apple growers combine traditional practices with modern tools to produce high-quality apples using sustainable farming practices, ensuring Canadian families can enjoy them all year long. This tour was developed in partnership with the Ontario Apple Growers (OAG) and received partial funding from the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC). 

“Our growers put tremendous dedication into producing high-quality apples for Canadian families,” said Chris Hedges, chair of OAG. “This virtual orchard tour offers a unique look at everything that goes into nurturing and harvesting a successful crop each year.” 

Another new virtual reality tour takes viewers to a field tomato farm in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, with the Pinsonneault family to discover how tomatoes are grown and harvested for processing. The tour highlights how growers use specialized equipment to plant and care for their crops, manage weather, pests, and disease challenges, and produce high-quality tomatoes for canned goods, including tomato paste, diced, peeled, crushed, or whole tomatoes. This tour was completed in partnership with the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG), Conagra Brands, and received partial funding from the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC).