Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is pleased to announce that the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc. (MBFI) has joined the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network.
The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network — led by Olds College — is a network of Smart Farms committed to sharing data and expertise that will help farmers, industry, and developers better understand, use, and develop smart agricultural technologies with a goal to accelerate the development and adoption of agriculture technologies across Canada. The network was launched in 2021 and also includes Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm located at Langham, Sask., Lakeland College located at Vermilion, Alta., and University of Saskatchewan (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) located near Saskatoon, Sask.
For Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate Vice-President of Applied Research at Olds College, the network’s continued expansion and collaboration across different agricultural zones and land bases brings more depth to the projects and technology evaluations conducted at Canada’s smart farms, and that will benefit farmers and developers.
“We are pleased to announce our second expansion site and welcome the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc. into the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network,” says Agnew. “With additional partners come additional opportunities in applied research and education that will help producers maximize technology and data when they’re making those sometimes tough farm management decisions. Independent validation of ag technologies is critical, and so is ensuring that validation is done using more than a single smart farm and more than one agro-climatic zone. We’re thrilled to continue expanding the network across Canada.”
At MBFI, the team focuses on advancing the Manitoba beef cattle and forage industry by engaging stakeholders, evaluating on-farm innovation, and disseminating knowledge to improve sustainability for farmers, the public and the environment. MBFI has the facilities, knowledge and technology to help support the advancement of innovation, education and adoption of agriculture technology, practices, and solutions in Manitoba and beyond. Joining the network brings the opportunity for broader feedback on evaluating various technologies and building broader collaborative relationships across Canada.
“We are delighted to join the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network and collaborate with Olds College, Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm at Langham, Lakeland College, and USask’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence,” says Dr. Mary-Jane Orr, General Manager, Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc.
“This network of smart farms creates opportunities for broader discussions on technologies, risk management and knowledge sharing. Joining the network is an impactful way to amplify our investment in evaluating livestock and crop monitoring equipment made possible through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership grant funding. We want to both support sustainable production and help producers maximize technology and data. We look forward to what we can achieve as the network continues to grow with more infrastructure, technology, laboratories, facilities and pastures.”
Linking smart farms across the country multiplies the learnings and increases the value of data generated to connect farmers with industry and research partners to find practical solutions to ag challenges.
With funding from the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN), the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network initiative will accelerate the development and adoption of ag technologies and systems, helping producers manage their risk of production to improve the productivity and sustainability of their farms.
Dr. Mary-Jane Orr announced that the MBFI was joining the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network during the 44th Annual General Meeting for Manitoba Beef Producers on Thursday, Feb. 2 in Winnipeg, MB.
Visit oldscollege.ca/smartfarmnetwork to learn more about the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network, or contact Olds College Centre for Innovation to inquire about joining the network.
