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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


SL virtual reality game . . . for chickens

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

An assistant professor at Iowa State University has created what may be the first video game for chickens. Second Livestock, named after the online game Second Life, uses a virtual reality headset and an omnidirectional treadmill to give a caged bird the illusion of wandering around a field.

"Even the best-intentioned producers only have so much land available to raise chickens," says the Second Livestock website. 'Virtual Free Range' allows chickens to be truly free range with no confines on their movements about their virtual worlds."

So is this for real? Yes and no. The Ames Tribune reported that designer Austin Stewart debuted a version adapted for human use at an exhibition in Ames, Iowa. But, Stewart told the Tribune, implementing the full system for chickens would be too expensive to be practical. The game's true purpose is to open a discussion about animal husbandry. BF

Current Issue

November 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Supreme Court Backs CFIA Ostrich Farm Cull

Monday, November 17, 2025

Agency staff began rounding up the birds mid-afternoon on November 6, corralling the ostriches into an enclosure made of hay bales about three to four metres high. The cull order was originally given ten months ago, on December 31, after lab tests confirmed the presence of highly... Read this article online

Bringing together today’s leaders with tomorrow’s

Monday, November 17, 2025

An event taking place in Guelph this week brings together people in leadership positions with the aspiring leaders of tomorrow. The United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin’s GenNext committee, which encourages people in their 20s and 30s to become involved with the United Way to fully... Read this article online

Give Your Fields a Free Health Check-Up: Here’s How

Monday, November 17, 2025

The Farmland Health Check-Up (FHCU) is a free program designed to help Ontario farmers take a closer look at their fields and identify opportunities for improvement. Working alongside a Certified Crop Advisor or Professional Agrologist, you’ll assess key factors like erosion, soil organic... Read this article online

CGC issues multiple licences in early November

Friday, November 14, 2025

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has been busy in the first week of November. The CGC issued four licences on Nov. 1 with three going to companies in Saskatchewan. Eskdale Seed Farm in Leross received a primary elevator licence. This type of licence goes to “an operator of an... Read this article online

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