With 3,600 acres of farmland to work with, the Crop Research team at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is able to perform in-field crop research with small plots trials and full-field commercial scale investigations. Olds College is also dedicated to Environmental Stewardship which encompasses water resource management, land management, renewable and green energy, carbon management, by-product development and utilization, air quality management, and green infrastructure development.
Read more about these talented teams of researchers that are moving crop research and environmental stewardship forward!
Ike Edeogu is the Applied Research Manager for crop research and environmental stewardship with Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI). Ike is passionate about research that can benefit agricultural producers. Ike is a professional engineer (P.Eng.) with an M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Alberta.
Shabeg Briar is a Research Scientist with crop research at OCCI. He was raised on a small agriculture farm in India — specifically North India which is known for its intensive agriculture industry — and his family typically grew two or three crops a year which kept them busy.
Hilke is a Research Technician with the crops division of OCCI, and specializes in small plot research trials for herbicide efficacy, fertilizer and germplasm screening. Hilke truly enjoys the diversity of her role on the crop research team and that there are no dull moments throughout the day. Her workdays are mixed with tasks in the office, research in the laboratory, hands-on work in the greenhouse, and numerous jobs out in the field and plots. Hilke says organization and multi-tasking are especially important skills to possess in crop research.
Krista is a Research Technician for Environmental Stewardship at Olds College. She finds it rewarding that her research is helping to provide solutions for farmers and feedlot producers to make environmentally sustainable choices. She says every day is an opportunity to learn and share ideas with the industry, colleagues and students, and to be on the forefront of new and innovative ideas and products.
Leona Megli is a Research Technician with OCCI's crop research team, and says the crops team is a lot of fun to work with and that she’s learned a large amount about agriculture in the time she's been on the team. Leona’s favourite part of her job is getting to work outside and being hands-on with projects. With the large number of applied research activities and variety trials happening in crop research, Leona says every day is different and she loves the diversity of her job.