5 minute read
The Olds College Smart Farm
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 The Evolution of Agriculture 2 The Olds College Smart Farm
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4 Working Together to Build Solutions 5 Message from the President 6 Pillars for Success
8 The People Behind the Technology 10 Built on Partnerships 12 Olds College Centre for Innovation — Focused on Practical, Industry-Driven Applied Research 14 Crop Research — From the Ground Up
16 Using Technology to Advance Livestock Production 18 More Digital Ag Information is Better — When You Know How to Use It
20 Smart Ag Applied Research — Working for Producers 22 Beyond Auto Steer with Autonomous Agriculture Equipment 24 Critical Work in Environmental Stewardship 26 The Field Crop Development Centre Continued Excellence
28 Werklund School of Agriculture Technology — Balancing Tradition and Innovation
THE EVOLUTION OF AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is undergoing a paradigm shift. Technology and digital data are transforming the way we farm. And society is demanding more and more of agriculture.
The Olds College Smart Farm brings together the most innovative technology and ideas, leaders in research, science and agriculture, and students who will lead the way tomorrow. This combination of people and ideas works on a campus that includes a 3,600 acre lab for crop and livestock production, as well as high-tech learning environments that fuel innovation.
The Smart Farm creates a place to investigate the opportunities and challenges facing the industry, and build the solutions that will evolve agriculture. Solutions that will feed a growing population, reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint and enhance the agriculture industry in Canada.
THE OLDS COLLEGE SMART FARM
Technology continues to influence the way we live, work and farm. Smart farms and technology development have a critical role to play in the global grand challenge of feeding a growing population with fewer resources while reducing the environmental impact.
The Olds College Smart Ag Ecosystem is focused on accelerating the progress and innovation needed to grow Canada’s ag industry — and the Olds College Smart Farm is at the heart of it all. The Smart Farm has grown to include 3,600 acres of farmland, infrastructure, and staff who are experienced in ag tech research and development.
The Smart Farm creates a place for producers, industry partners, students and faculty to look at the opportunities and challenges facing the agriculture industry and investigate solutions to evolve agriculture practices.
New technologies for agriculture require in-field testing and validation in the setting of an operating farm to move through the innovation chain, and into the hands of farmers and producers. The Smart Farm offers lab space and a hands-on learning environment including 3,600 acres of land for crop and forage production, state-of-the-art equipment and technology, 140 commercial cattle, 16 Purebred Red Angus and 150 ewes — as well as a feedlot, brewery, greenhouses and other infrastructure.
The ability to develop, validate, and test products using technology and applied research in real agriculture settings continues to bring new projects to the Smart Farm. The projects on the Smart Farm are as diverse as the teams working on them — faculty, researchers, industry leaders and students are all involved. Work-integrated learning goes hand-in-hand with applied research at Olds College.
Project Highlights
The purpose of the Smart Farm is to implement the world’s best digital agriculture technologies for crop and livestock production; improve farming operations and efficiencies through smart technologies and
Smart Agriculture
Olds College Smart Ag Applied Research supports the refinement and optimization of technologies, and provides manufacturers and users with information on functionality, accuracy and value of technologies — particularly in Alberta stubble, soil and climate conditions.
Digital Agriculture
Smart and precision agriculture are heavily reliant on data — developing a Digital Ag Strategy is providing guidance for the collection, integration and utilization of agricultural data for evidence-based decision making.
Autonomous Agriculture Equipment
Olds College is conducting future-focused research on the evaluation and improvement of economic, environmental, and logistical benefits of autonomous agricultural equipment for broad acre crop production. None of this research can be done without the support of government, industry, partners, donors and investors — their contributions to the advancement of technology in agriculture is essential.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT — FROM ZERO TO LIMITLESS
2018 — 1 PROJECT 2019 — 9 PROJECTS 2020 — 22 PROJECTS 2021 — 36 PROJECTS 2022 — 50+ PROJECTS
practices; and utilize technologies for world class education, demonstration and applied research. Primary research areas are focused on crop production, livestock production, environmental stewardship, cereal breeding and technology integration.
Crop Research
With 3,600 acres of farmland to work with, the crop research team at Olds College is able to perform in-field crop research with small plot trials and full-field commercial scale investigations.
Livestock Research
The facilities and assets of the Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College — including a commercial cattle herd and 1,000-head capacity feedlot — can be utilized to demonstrate and advance the use of technology to improve production efficiency, animal health and welfare, and enhance environmental sustainability.
Environmental Stewardship
Olds College is home to a constructed wetlands facility dedicated to surface water resource management solutions, applied research and education. Research goals include ways to negate water shortages, cost-effective and efficient methods of water management, and creating ways to promote and enable environmental stewardship.
Cereal Breeding
In collaboration with the Smart Farm, the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) aims to streamline the breeding process to develop better barley and triticale varieties faster. Agromatic traits — such as yield, standability, lodging resistance and disease resistance — are primary goals for the breeding programs.
HEADING EAST
Thanks to a generous donation of 800 acres near Craik, Saskatchewan by Margery Steckler and her late husband George Steckler, the College has expanded farming operations and formed the Olds College Saskatchewan Smart Farm. This gift of land from the Stecklers has grown the Smart Farm to 3,600 acres of farmland, and provides a platform for the College to partner with post-secondary institutions, industry, and local producers by providing ag-tech training and research opportunities to support the Saskatchewan agriculture industry. Committed to the advancement of agriculture, farmers and education, George and Margery Steckler have truly created a legacy gift here at Olds College.
