Business is looking up for the animals at California's Sweet Farm, ever since the place's goats, llamas, cows, sheep, pigs and turkeys have been attending Zoom meetings. That's right, for a fee, the workers at this non-profit sanctuary dedicated to humane animal treatment will bring one of their animals to your next Zoom sesh.
Why, you might ask? Sweet Farm co-founder Nate Salpeter explained to the New York Post, “Sometimes people just want to watch a cow eat grass.” That's understandable, in these days when we're all cooped up in our homes without even the amusements of a colleague's corny joke or a midday walk around the office to be nosy stretch our legs. Sweet Farm’s Goat 2 Meeting Initiative allows interested cow cohabitators and llama lovers sign up on the farm’s website for a range of activations. For a $65 donation, you'll get a virtual private tour of the farm for up to six people. For $100, the farm will bring one of its animals to your Zoom meeting for 10 minutes, for however many guests want to gaze admiringly at the animal's majesty. Or maybe your group is feeling flush? Then, for a $250 donation you can sign up for a private corporate virtual tour of the whole farm. (But don't get the idea the farm is trying to fleece anyone—educators can sign up for free virtual field trips for their students.)
The idea has been so successful that lots of afternoon meeting slots are already spoken for, presumably because everyone wants to host an animal. That's nice, but we're hoping that Sweet Farm staff keep their Zoom host mute buttons on—because making a pig listen to the weekly company recap is animal cruelty.
