Olds College has received just under $1 million through the Government of Alberta’s Research Capacity Program (RCP) for its Smart Agriculture Applied Research Program. The funds will be used to purchase agricultural equipment, sensors, devices and computers to support the growth of agriculture technology research on the Olds College Smart Farm.
“We are very excited to receive this funding from the Government of Alberta towards our Smart Agriculture Applied Research program,” comments Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate Vice-President, Applied Research. “The funding from RCP will allow us to deliver an exciting program and it is expected to attract additional partners and grant funding for projects related to automation and digitization of agriculture.”
The Olds College Smart Farm has several agriculture technology applied research projects on the go, including: the DOT Autonomous farm equipment project that is looking at the economic, environmental, and labour benefits of autonomous equipment for broadacre production, and the WEED-IT spot sprayer project that is evaluating the economic benefits of spot spraying technology.
“Olds College continues to lead in innovation and research. Olds College leads the country in smart ag technology while meeting the needs of producers right here in Alberta,” comments Nathan Cooper, MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.
In total almost $2.1 million in RCP funding was awarded to Olds College, SAIT and Red Deer College. SAIT received $1 million and RDC almost $150,000.
“This investment will help get Albertans back to work now, and prepare our next generation for the jobs of tomorrow in manufacturing, energy and agriculture. One of Alberta's greatest strengths is our ability to tackle challenges through innovation. Growing these programs will make our province even more competitive as we turn ideas into reality, creating jobs and prosperity,” comments Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation.
