There are a couple of things we ourselves are working on. One of our main sponsors has graciously offered some advertising time at the Calgary Stampede this coming summer, and they're working on an advertisement right now showing the linkages between 4-H and where it leads to in terms of leadership. One of the commercials involves a young boy showing his steer at a competition and--flash--the next thing you know he has a motorcycle, because he sold his steer and bought the motorcycle. As far as 4-H is concerned, that's a way to get kids interested in the 4-H program and show them what it can give to them.
Certainly from a marketing perspective, we've talked about going into the schools. We've talked about the importance of going into the urban areas, and I think there is a thirst for knowledge there, to find out more about production, to find out more about where food is coming from. We've talked about the “eat local” movement, and I have never seen kids not get excited the first time they see a cow. I remember making a presentation to a group of kids up in Sandy Hill last summer, and they were a little disappointed when I didn't have a trailer with horses and cows with me.
Bringing the farm to the city is something we really believe is a huge step in terms of promoting agriculture and how close it really is. You talk about Calgary, but Ottawa is the same way. Go twenty minutes and you're in the valley, surrounded by farms.
I think fundamentally the interest is there. It's just how to bring it to them. That's what we need to find out. It might involve closing off a couple of city blocks and setting up a farm for a day. That might be a fantastic way to encourage people to go out and learn more about agriculture and the role that they can play, and also about where their food is coming from.