Robert Saik, serial ag entrepreneur, author and CEO of AGvisorPRO recently donated $100,000 to Olds College to create an endowment fund for the Robert Saik AgTech Awards - two $2,500 scholarships per year supporting students from urban areas enrolled in the Agriculture Technology programs at Olds College. This builds on another Saik scholarship that supports rural students entering agriculture at the University of Alberta.
“I established these scholarships at Olds College because the College offers hands-on, high-tech learning experiences with the Ag Tech programs,” explains Saik. “Technology, robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning are a part of the future of agriculture. Olds College is helping students focus on the agricultural needs of tomorrow by placing technology inside the classroom and providing a hands-on learning environment on the Smart Farm.”
Currently the College offers several agriculture and agriculture technology programs through the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology. The College is also home to Canada’s first Smart Farm, an interconnected environment through which the College is leveraging its land (2,800 acres), existing agriculture operations, and applied research programming, in order to provide a product development and demonstration venue to accelerate agriculture technology and agri-food development.
“I want this scholarship to encourage bright people to join the agriculture industry and take advantage of the technology available, and those bright people don’t need to come from a farm or have a background in agriculture,” says Saik. “It’s important that kids living in urban areas understand agriculture is a viable and exciting career; it’s a really good place to be. I feel very strongly about that.”
“Agriculture offers a variety of career opportunities, including new skill sets centered around technology, data, robotics and engineering” says Patrick Machacek, Vice President, Development and Strategy at Olds College. “Thanks to Mr. Saik’s generous donation, we will be able to support urban learners in agriculture by removing some of the financial roadblocks, and introducing these learners to exciting ag tech careers that are emerging throughout Alberta. Robert has been a long-time friend of Olds College and we would like to thank him for his continued support.”
