Olds College Smart Farm - A Living Lab for Agri-Food Development
Olds College, in collaboration with its industry and sector partners, is converting the whole of its farming operation to a Smart Farm: an interconnected environment through which the college is leveraging its land (2,000 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. At the same time, the Smart Farm serves as a cutting-edge learning environment for students, producers and the agriculture sector.
The Olds College Smart Farm is essentially a giant lab that provides the agriculture sector a venue for commercial scale applied research. It is attracting investment and engagement from companies ranging from multi-national ag and tech companies to SMEs (small and medium enterprises). It also provides our students with a learning environment centred on the future of ag and technology, setting the learning experience apart from other programming in the country.
The purpose of the Olds College Smart Farm is to:
Establish the most efficient way to collect and implement the world's best digital agriculture technologies for crop and livestock production;
Demonstrate increased efficiency of farming operations through implementation of smart technologies and practices; and
Utilize commercial and pre-commercial technologies for world class education, demonstration, and applied research.
View the Smart Farm Impact Report
The philosophy and principles guiding the development and operation of the Olds College Smart Farm are centred around engaging producers and industry on addressing real-world problems by utilizing and integrating technology and data. The Smart Farm is also focused on teaching students how to integrate, manage and leverage ag technology for the enhancement and sustainability of agri-food production.
With the introduction of the Smart Farm, Olds College has created a trusted space where our partners can collaborate together and work to advance agriculture. The Smart Farm creates a place for producers, industry partners, students and faculty to look at the opportunities and challenges facing the agriculture industry and investigate solutions to evolve agriculture practices.
In the end, Olds College believes that our focus on ag technology and the problems to be solved will serve as a catalyst for new thinking and leadership that inspires cross-industry solutions, innovation and strategic decision-making.
Olds College Smart Farm Crop and Livestock Plan 2020
Olds College Smart Farm includes 1,843 acres of land for crops and forage production (1,117 acres on main campus, 418 acres across highway 2, and 308 acres at Pitstra Farm - excluding ponds, roadways, and natural areas).
Smart Farm Projects & Activities
![]() | Autonomous Agricultural EquipmentAutomation and robotics for farm operations presents numerous opportunities and challenges for western Canadian agriculture. The applied research related to the DOT power platform and implements is focused on an evaluation of the technical, economic, and environmental "footprint" of autonomous agricultural equipment operation.
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![]() | DataSmart and precision agriculture is heavily reliant on data. Research at Olds College is focused on developing and optimizing ways to collect, manage and utilize on-farm data for evidence-based decision making.
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![]() | SensorsOn-farm data collection relies on climate, soil, crop, and weather monitors and sensors. The applied research at Olds College is focused on evaluating the functionality, accuracy, reliability, and connectivity of pre-commercial and commercial sensors and understanding the value the data can provide to producers.
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![]() | Technology Development and ValidationNew technologies for agriculture require in-field validation and testing in the setting of an operating farm. Olds College applied research supports refinement and optimization of technologies and provides users with information on functionality, accuracy, and value of technologies.
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![]() | Regenerative AgricultureRegenerative agriculture practices support a more holistic management of cropping and livestock systems to improve overall soil health, biodiversity, and sustainability of food production. Applied research at Olds College focuses on evaluation of technologies that support and quantify the benefits of regenerative agriculture practices.
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Agriculture Technology Integration Post-Diploma Certificate
Designed for students who already have a diploma, degree or journey-person certification in a related field, such as mechanics, agriculture, land, environment, technology or engineering.
Precision Agriculture - Techgronomy Diploma
Students will leave this program prepared for careers that require a deep understanding of the connectedness between agronomy, agriculture machinery/purpose built network management, and data sciences.
Media Releases
- Olds College and TELUS Agriculture Create $1 Million Partnership Posted December 01, 2020
- Alberta’s Barley Breeding Program Moving to Olds College Posted October 16, 2020
- Agriculture Supports Economic Innovation and Jobs Posted September 29, 2020
- 2020 Smart Farm Impact Report is now available Posted July 08, 2020
Smart Farm Phase One ArcGIS Story Maps
This project was made with funding support from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF).
Smart Farm Articles
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Forage Biomass Assessment
Posted 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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A Successful Season Using DOT
Posted January 25, 2021
By: Daniel Stefner, Research Technician, Smart Ag - January 2021
In March of 2020, Olds College secured and purchased a DOT power platform with three compatible implements: SeedMaster 3015 DSR Seeder, Pattison Liquid Systems Connect PLU S120 Sprayer, and New Leader NL5000 Nutrient Applicator. Together the equipment is used for academic, training, farming, research, and evaluation purposes regarding autonomous farm equipment.
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GNSS (GPS) Accuracy Explained
Posted 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 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.
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Autonomous Equipment On the Olds College Smart Farm
Posted September 03, 2020
Earlier this spring, Olds College was excited to announce it was the only post-secondary institution in the world to deploy the fully autonomous DOT Power Platform as a teaching and research tool on the College’s Smart Farm. This next generation of ag-technology gives Olds College students one-of-a-kind learning opportunities on commercially available field-scale robotics technology on the College’s Smart Farm.
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Growing from the Ground Up
Posted September 03, 2020
The state of a field is influenced by many variables that are interconnected and dependent on each other. In a field used for cattle grazing, these variables are even more diverse, and managing them can prove a daunting task. This is the purpose behind Olds College’s Regenerative Agriculture project: an undertaking that seeks to identify the key variables of field management to make the most out of a piece of land.
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Werklund School of Agriculture Technology
Posted June 23, 2020
Launched in September 2019, the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology is committed to providing a one-of-a-kind learning experience that prepares students for future-focused careers and leadership roles throughout the ag sector.
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Renewed Approach to Agronomic Management
Posted June 23, 2020
The Olds College farm has historically focused its usable farmland to support the needs of the college’s livestock enterprises through hay, pasture, silage, feed grains and some cash grain. However, with the introduction of the Olds College Smart Farm a new agronomic approach is required to support the needs of students, staff, researchers and industry partners.
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Olds College Crop and Livestock Plan 2020
Posted June 23, 2020
Olds College Smart Farm includes 1,843 acres of land for crops and forage production (1,117 acres on main campus, 418 acres across highway 2, and 308 acres at Pitstra Farm - excluding ponds, roadways, and natural areas).
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Finding Solutions for Real-World Problems
Posted June 23, 2020
Olds College knows that it has a responsibility to facilitate innovation throughout the ag sector and help producers, business and industry find solutions to real-world problems. We also know that successful research begins with building the right team. That’s why Olds College was delighted to recruit Dr. Joy Agnew as the Associate Vice President of Applied Research and head of the Olds College Centre for Innovation in January 2019.