EcoFarm — Attraction in Abbotsford

I recently visited and received the VIP tour. It was interesting to see the modifications made to their processes to try and mitigate some of the ecological troubles of the dairy and beef industry, including the seaweed diet. The vertical farm was excellent to visit and I am excited to see the new strides being made in vegetable farming in urban spaces.

But I was really disturbed right from the off by their short cartoon at the beginning. It felt packed with propaganda about how wonderful the cows have it, full stop. Apparently much better than their ancestors who got to go outside. While I appreciate that they are able to freely roam their barn and snack and socialize, they still don't get to feel grass on their feet. The staff made sure to tell us that the closed barn was better for the cows as they like routine, but I don't understand how having an easy-in/easy-out barn with a self milker would be problematic to the cows. The super-packed beef pens were also really uncomfortable to see. It was quite loud so I didn't catch if they ever get released from the pens.

The complete lack of pasture for the animals was very jarring. As an urban farm, I can understand that there is limited space. I just wish that they were honest that it is primarily about somewhat increasing animal welfare while maximising output, instead of making it sound like heaven on earth for the animals. With all the ethical issues around keeping livestock, I think there are so many ways to mitigate the suffering we do cause and using precious space for things like a rice field when you could let the animals feel sun on their face is disingenuous.

I think it's really important that we do see the good, bad, and ugly of where food comes from, but it's also important to be realistic about why it is that way and not try to sugar coat it - especially for children, right from the beginning. I already eat primarily plant-based and this just reinforces my feelings on how detrimental...

We recently attended Eco Dairy for 2 birthday parties on back to back weekends. One for my daughters friend, and then for my daughters own birthday party.

Both times the venue was great. Especially during my daughters birthday party, the tour part was great. The host was very knowledgeable and she was great the 4-5yr olds. They had a blast feeding the cows!

The loft area for the birthday party was clean and well set up. The amenities needed for hosting a birthday are all there(fridge, sink, bathrooms, toys, tables and chairs) and overall would highly recommend.

There is also a big open area for the kids to enjoy just behind the dairy, along with a mini...

Not sure how many years have this place being open, but you can definitely see that it is not well kept. There are spider webs EVERYWHERE, and it is extremely filthy inside, where they keep the cows. I'm sure the vision of this place is meant to be with good intentions, but the reality is totally different. I would say that the employees in charge of the cleaning, need a bit more incentives to actually care to maintain the building and to keep the look a bit more clean and appealing to the public. The ladies that help us in the reception and tour, were lovely and very helpful and informative. I hope this review helps to improve such an...