U.S. farm group sponsoring Disney World ag exhibit

[Luv2Roam]

U.S. farm group sponsoring Disney World ag exhibit
Reuters, 01.19.03, 8:22 PM ET

TAMPA, Fla., Jan 19 (Reuters) - The largest U.S. farm group will sponsor an exhibit on modern-day agriculture at EPCOT, a park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, to give city-dwelling Americans an idea how food is raised, leaders said on Sunday.

Bob Stallman, president of the 5.3 million-member American Farm Bureau Federation, announced the pact during the organization's annual convention. Postcard-sized pledge cards were distributed to convention-goers to defray the cost.

The exhibit, now called Beautiful Science, has been sponsored by Monsanto Co. (nyse: MON - news - people) , a leading developer of agricultural biotechnology.

"The millions of visitors who come to EPCOT each year will get a feel for what it's like to live and work on an innovative farm and a new appreciation of the modern farm family," Stallman said at an evening meeting.

"After a few carefully planned changes, our new exhibit will focus on the broader role modern agriculture plays in providing a safe and abundant supply of food, fiber and fuel."

An AFBF spokesman was not immediately able to comment on the cost of the partnership with Disney (nyse: DIS - news - people) , owner of EPCOT. The revamped exhibit will continue to mention the benefits of biotech crops, he said.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service

 

[pheneix]

Looks like Disney found another sucker- I mean't sponsor to prop up Innoventions for the time being. I'm sure Nestle will be very excited to pour any more money into The Land after this news.


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TAMPA, Fla., Jan 19 (Reuters) - The largest U.S. farm group will sponsor an exhibit on modern-day agriculture at EPCOT, a park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, to give city-dwelling Americans an idea how food is raised, leaders said on Sunday.

Bob Stallman, president of the 5.3 million-member American Farm Bureau Federation, announced the pact during the organization's annual convention. Postcard-sized pledge cards were distributed to convention-goers to defray the cost.

The exhibit, now called Beautiful Science, has been sponsored by Monsanto Co., a leading developer of agricultural biotechnology.

"The millions of visitors who come to EPCOT each year will get a feel for what it's like to live and work on an innovative farm and a new appreciation of the modern farm family," Stallman said at an evening meeting.

"After a few carefully planned changes, our new exhibit will focus on the broader role modern agriculture plays in providing a safe and abundant supply of food, fiber and fuel."

An AFBF spokesman was not immediately able to comment on the cost of the partnership with Disney, owner of EPCOT. The revamped exhibit will continue to mention the benefits of biotech crops, he said.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030119/food_farmers_disney_1.html

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by pheneix
I'm sure Nestle will be very excited to pour any more money into The Land after this news.

I don't know why this should matter to Nestlé. They produce food products; they're not an agriculture company.

Originally posted by pheneix
The exhibit, now called Beautiful Science, has been sponsored by Monsanto Co., a leading developer of agricultural biotechnology.

All this means is that one of the exhibits in Innoventions is getting a new sponsor. (And, one would hope, the exhibit will be updated with more than just a new sign.)

 

[pheneix]

>>>I don't know why this should matter to Nestlé. They produce food products; they're not an agriculture company.<<<

That's true, but when I saw the name of the story the very first thing I thought of was, "oh, looks like the Farm Bureau is putting some money into Living with the Land." As it turns out, the exhibit sounds a lot like the Living with the Land ride. It would be nice if the parties involved could be real clever and tie this exhibit in with the pavilion itself, but that is highly doubtful.

 

[Another Voice]

"The millions of visitors who come to EPCOT each year will get a feel for what it's like to live and work on an innovative farm ..."

Will this have FastPass?

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I will definitely visit this exhibit. One thing it can tie in with very well is the Flower & Garden Show.

 

[WDWHound]

Why am I having flashbacks to the Bountiful Farm section of CA? Ah yes, there was several seconds of spell binding entertainment.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Potato bug revival. A generous donation from departing Epcot sponsor Monsanto has landed the American Farm Bureau Federation the role of sponsor for "Beautiful Science," part of the Innoventions West area of the park.

The news apparently slipped through the cracks of Disney's PR machinery when a Reuters wire service reporter attending the giant agriculture group's meeting in Tampa this week noted the group was soliciting pledge cards from the 5,000 convention attendees to pay for the attraction.

A Disney spokeswoman confirmed the sponsorship change, noting that Monsanto had "donated" its exhibit to the group.

Bureau spokesman Stewart Truelsen says the group has a one-year contract with Disney and plans to broaden the scope of the 3,800-square-foot, interactive display to make the message less about biotechnology "and more about the farmer."

The changes should be completed by March. Truelsen says they won't affect the two most popular parts of the area ? a bug's-eye tunnel where kids get an underground view of the soil and a display comparing a genetically engineered plant infested with potato bugs to an infested standard plant.

Guess which 'tater the bugs won't touch?

As for the pledge cards, Truelsen says the donations simply fund the group's general educational outreach work, which now includes the Epcot attraction.

From the January 24, 2003 print edition Tourism World

 

[wdwguide]

At least Monsanto is out of there, that's what's important.

 

[raidermatt]

Maybe this is why Project Gemini has been reported to have stalled.... Wouldn't want to announce too many "major" attractions too close together...