Check Out Olds College's New Smart Farm

New tech is making big waves in agriculture.

At Olds College, we are "transforming agriculture for a better world."

In the summer of 2018, Olds College launched the Olds College Smart Farm, an exciting initiative that is transforming the College's existing farm into a farm of the future. By incorporating the latest technologies aimed at improving productivity, while efficiently and sustainably using resources, the Smart Farm is creating a cutting-edge learning environment for students and life-long learners.

A living lab for hands-on learning, it is a place for innovation, validation, demonstration and scaling of smart connected agriculture technology through industry partnerships.

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.

Features of the Smart Farm encompass installing new technologies, including stationary soil monitors, digital weather stations, wireless grain bin sensors, a wireless mesh network that provides Wi-Fi to the entire farm, and rural narrowband connectivity to ensure high-quality internet. The Smart Farm is incorporating farm management software platforms that gather, store, and visualize production and management data, while utilizing data analytics and machine learning to turn data into information and information into knowledge. Techgronomists on the Smart Farm team use the technologies to analyze data gathered to make evidence-based decisions to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability.

Learn more about the Olds College Smart Farm here (video).

Olds College also has two new programs starting in Fall, 2020.

After working with industry partners and producers over the last two years, Olds College identified a significant skills gap within the agriculture industry when it comes to supporting producers adopting new technology. In response to this skill gap, Olds College is launching new programs in agriculture technology.

The dynamic new post-diploma certificate in Agriculture Technology Integration is designed to provide students with an understanding of how related technologies and components interact to provide accurate information and real-time monitoring and controls to the agriculture producer. You will learn to link emerging technologies with existing farm infrastructure including the installation, calibration, troubleshooting and repair of precision agriculture hardware and equipment, including mechanical, hydraulic and software systems.

The Precision Agriculture ? Techgronomy program is an exciting new diploma focused on agronomy and technology. Graduates from the program will be prepared for careers that require a deep understanding of the connectedness between agronomy, agriculture machinery, purpose-built network management, and data sciences. Students will engage in hands-on training on our Olds College Smart Farm ecosystem, focusing on integrating precision technology and agronomy and enhancing decision support systems through actionable and effective on-farm decision making.

Learn more about our two new Ag Tech programs here (video).

Visit our website for more details on the amazing programs that we offer and the admission requirements needed to be accepted.

Contact the Office of the Registrar by emailing info@oldscollege.ca, or by calling 403-556-8218, and we would be happy to help you get started on your journey with Olds College.