Manitoba Beef & Forage joins the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network

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.

Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate Vice-President of Applied Research at Olds College

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.”