ROAD TO HIGHER LEARNING
Lakeland College introduces Canada’s first agriculture technology degree program
Imagine a farm family who will plough their fields, operate seeders, apply chemicals, harvest crops and feed livestock almost entirely from an office—a “command centre”—in their home. That scenario, one might say, is not that far afield. Automation is rapidly transforming farm and livestock operations across Canada. But who will install these sophisticated systems, monitor and adjust them as needed, integrate them with broader networks, and fix them when things go wrong? With enthusiastic support from the ag industry, Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta is providing the answer: a bachelor degree in agriculture technology. The first students will enter the degree program this fall.
“We’re very excited. It’s the first full degree program of its kind in Canada,” says Josie Van Lent, dean of the School of Agriculture Technology and Applied Research at Lakeland College. “In our consultation with the ag industry, it became clear to us several years ago that such a program was needed.”
More than 40 agricultural organizations and companies were contacted in an independent industry needs assessment. Following that, Lakeland’s faculty worked closely with agricultural specialists and organizations, and the Campus Alberta Quality Council, to design a bachelor degree that will be of significant benefit to those in the ag industry while expanding career opportunities for ag students.
“The agricultural industry needs more graduates who can interface between ag production and management and technology, and who have the capacity and skill set to keep up as technology evolves and is perfected,” says Van Lent. “For example, there is a shortage of people with the skill set to troubleshoot technology on farms. If I have a data platform in my tractor that records the amount of pesticide used in a field, and things aren’t working properly, I need someone who can troubleshoot if this is a hardware problem, software program, or sensor problem, and they will need to understand exactly what data is important to collect from an agronomic perspective. In the end, if we can collect this kind of data accurately and overlay that with pest monitoring sensors in a field, we may be able to reduce pesticide use and create both environmental and economical efficiencies.”
To qualify for admission, applicants must already hold an agriculture diploma or degree from a post-secondary institution, as described on the Lakeland College website. A student graduating from Grade 12 this June, for example, could enrol in any of Lakeland’s agriculture programs such as agribusiness, and upon completion then enrol in the agriculture technology course, where they will further specialize in either crop or livestock technological applications.
Prospective students have already shown a strong interest in the program and, with a limit of 40 students in the first year, it’s expected that the program will reach full enrolment.
The first year of the twoyear degree is delivered on-campus in the College’s new Agriculture Technology Centre, an 8,000-squarefoot building that will house a data centre lab, equipment and technology lab, and an innovation lab with 3-D printers and other resources. The curriculum examines all platforms and equipment brands. Students will also access the technology and data systems on Lakeland’s student-managed farm.
In the program’s second year, students will complete off-campus practicums offered in partnership with equipment dealers and manufacturers, the crop service sector, ag technology developers and other agribusinesses. For some students, that might mean placement that continues through an entire crop season with a customer, such as implementing an agronomy data management program. For other students, there might be a combination of two shorter practicums— for example, installing and trouble-shooting robotic milkers in dairy barns, then moving on to work with cameras to measure phenotypic traits in beef cattle. “A really neat thing about the practicum,” notes Van Lent, “is that we have built in a course in leadership development, which is really about developing soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and interpersonal relations with customers.” The program concludes with student presentations on their work and learning experience.
Lakeland College’s bachelor degree in agriculture technology highlights the important role that postsecondary institutions can play in supporting the real needs of industry stakeholders in their region, and ensuring that today’s students are well-equipped to meet present and future demand. For an increasingly hungry world, Lakeland’s ag tech students will be the pioneers of a new era.