Lethbridge College has joined the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network
Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is pleased to announce Lethbridge College has joined the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network. The network currently has seven members across three different provinces in Canada working collaboratively towards advancing ag tech solutions and sustainability across Canada.
The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network — led by Olds College — is a network of Smart Farms supporting Canada’s agriculture sector to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and resilience in response to emerging opportunities and challenges.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Lethbridge College into the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network as our fourth expansion site,” says Dr. Joy Agnew, Vice-President of Research at Olds College. “The network’s continued expansion across different agricultural zones and land bases brings more depth to the projects and technology evaluations which benefit farmers and developers. Lethbridge College brings expertise in irrigated crop production, grain storage management, and horticulture production, among other things. Together, this network of smart farms can truly drive innovation and growth in Canada’s diverse agriculture industry.”
The Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE) at Lethbridge College is dedicated to economic growth, sustainability, and social development — and helps expand the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network into southern Alberta and Canada’s Premier Food Corridor. CARIE is able to support on-farm activities with a 385 acre irrigated research farm located just east of Lethbridge, numerous irrigation systems and technology, field-scale plots, crop production and a state-of-the-art grain drying facility. CARIE also has over 7,000 square feet of laboratory spaces, and over 20,000 square feet of controlled-environment agriculture facilities — including the internationally-known Aquaculture Centre of Excellence and Centre for Sustainable Food Production.
“We are so happy to join the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network, and be able to exchange expertise on best management practices and innovative technologies in agriculture across the network,” says Dr. Kenny Corscadden, Vice President Research and Partnerships, Lethbridge College. “CARIE is focused on bringing together community and industry organizations, researchers and students to collaborate on projects that use new or existing knowledge to solve real-world challenges with immediate practical applications. Working together with members across Canada in the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network allows us to share our knowledge and data, build our expertise, and work together to solve challenges across varying soil and climate regions.”
The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network launched in 2021. In addition to Lethbridge College and the Olds College Smart Farm, it also includes Discovery Farm Langham located just north of Saskatoon, Sask., Lakeland College located at Vermilion, Alta., University of Saskatchewan (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) located near Saskatoon, Sask., Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc. (MBFI) located near Brandon, Man., and Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI) located near Winnipeg, Man.
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.
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.
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.
Images supplied by Lethbridge College.