The National Trust wants to persuade 10,000 consumers to become "virtual farmers."
The organisation wants them to run a 1,200-acre site via the internet in a bid to teach families more about where their food comes from.
It has turned over Wimpole Home Farm in Cambridgeshire to the experiment, and for a £30 fee players can vote on decisions about which crops to grow and animals to rear.
"Its a great opportunity," said a spokesman. "We expect people to thoroughly enjoy the hay-bailing - real back-breaking stuff. And the kids will really love cleaning out the milking sheds and pig styes. Such fun!
"We're expecting to expand the project to include working in an abattoir - that would be a terrifically popular experience... blood and guts all over the place!
"And who could resist the chicken batteries?"
