Smart Farm Articles
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FCDC’s First Growing Season with Olds College
Posted on November 24, 2021
The Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) at Olds College was in full swing for the 2021 planting and growing season. FCDC — located in Lacombe, Alberta — breeds new varieties of malting barley, feed and forage barley, and spring and winter triticale supported by pathology, quality, and biotechnology labs. ...more
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Reviewing OMNiPOWER’s Second Season on the #OCSmartFarm
Posted on November 23, 2021
Finishing its second year of using autonomous agriculture equipment, the Olds College Smart Farm was able to get A LOT more comfortable with OMNiPOWER by collecting data on a total of 60 missions seeding, spraying, spreading and training across 5,408 acres in partnership with Carlson Ag, Gatez Farms Ltd. and Pattison Farms. ...more
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Work-Integrated Learning on the Smart Farm
Posted on August 30, 2021
Providing meaningful work-integrated learning opportunities while benefiting from new skill sets and fresh perspectives — the makings of a successful partnership this year between Olds College and 12 enthusiastic agriculture students.
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Floating Island Technology for Livestock Water Remediation
Posted on August 30, 2021
Olds College researchers are evaluating the economic and environmental benefits of using native wetland plants and floating island technology to remediate feedlot runoff water. This research aims to effectively improve water quality for irrigation or livestock use by removing nutrients, heavy metals, and other contaminants — as well as minimizing the presence of algae blooms. Feedlot operators could access alternative, low-cost options for treating feedlot runoff water while being environmentally sustainable. ...more
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Satellite Imagery on the Smart Farm
Posted on August 30, 2021
By Dr. Alex Melnitchouck, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Ag, Olds College
Olds College Smart Farm uses a wide range of leading edge technologies which help to solve various problems and make smart farming even more efficient. Using various types of satellite imagery for monitoring crop conditions and field variability analysis is one of the most important components of the Smart Ag ecosystem. ...more
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Gamma-Ray Soil Spectrometry on the Smart Farm
Posted on May 07, 2021
By Dr. Alex Melnitchouck, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Ag, Olds College
Since its creation, the Olds College Smart Farm has tested and validated pretty much any advanced or leading edge precision ag technology that exists in the world (and this is not an exaggeration!). Digital technologies and innovative tools, which can speed up field data collection and analysis, provide detailed information about various field properties, and help making better agronomic decisions became an integrated part of Smart Farm activities at Olds College.
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Olds College Tests New Grain-drying Mobile App for Farmers
Posted on May 07, 2021
Farmers can now monitor their crops on a mobile app during the in-bin drying process. Olds College Centre of Innovation (OCCI) confirms the app is accurate after thorough testing, plus provides recommendations for increased accuracy. ...more
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Forage Biomass Assessment
Posted on February 04, 2021
By Dr. Alex Melnitchouck, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Ag, Olds College - February 2020
In the last decade, remote sensing tools became an essential component of precision agriculture. Satellite and aerial imagery is extensively used for field monitoring and crop condition assessment. The Olds College Smart Farm extensively uses remote sensing in farming operations and research.
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GNSS (GPS) Accuracy Explained
Posted on November 20, 2020
Submitted by Simon Knutson, Agriculture Technology Instructor, Olds College - November 2020
The topics addressed and contents of this paper were written based upon student-submitted papers for the GNSS Accuracy Assignment, as part of the AGT 1007 Electronics and Control Systems course, fall semester 2020.
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Yield Forecast, Virtual Yield Mapping, and Yield Loss Assessment
Posted on September 24, 2020
Smart farming is not an “easy button”, which can do everything on the farm just by pressing it. It is hard work, where agricultural specialists are empowered by various tools and technologies helping them to be more productive and efficient. Smart Farm uses many analytical tools to improve the efficiency of farming operations. Satellite and drone imagery is a good example of such tools.
