OLDS, Alta. – SaskTel and Olds College of Agriculture and Technology announced today they have signed a memorandum of understanding, which will see them work together to solve challenges facing agriculture technology, including rural connectivity.
“Their collaboration will leverage the 800 acres Olds College Saskatchewan Smart Farm (Craik, Saskatchewan) to advance and accelerate ag tech development and innovation for producers, learners, and agri-food companies right across Saskatchewan through applied research, technology demonstration, data utilization, and commercial-scale validation,” a SaskTel press release says.
The college, which is home to Canada’s first smart farm, expanded its smart farm operations into Saskatchewan this year thanks to Margery Steckler and her late husband, George Steckler who gifted the land.
The smart farm operation is a “cutting-edge learning environment” that now includes 3,600 acres of farmland.
“The Olds College Smart Farm is essentially a giant lab that provides the agriculture sector a venue for commercial scale applied research, and is attracting investment and engagement from companies ranging from multi-national ag and tech companies to SMEs (small and medium enterprises),” the press release says.
“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,” the release explains.
“We are delighted to partner with SaskTel, a leader in connectivity, Internet of Things (loT), and customer service in Saskatchewan,” said Patrick Machacek, vice-president, development and strategy, Olds College, in the release.
“With the recent expansion of the Olds College Smart Farm into Saskatchewan, we are continuing to expand and build a smart ag ecosystem that is focused on driving innovation for western Canada’s ag sector. Thanks to partnerships with industry leaders, such as SaskTel, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology will provide ag-tech training and research opportunities that align and support the needs of Saskatchewan learners, producers and the agri-food industry.”
“As Saskatchewan’s homegrown communications provider, we are pleased to collaborate with Olds College of Agriculture & Technology on this exciting project which will further expand our role in helping to develop, test, and facilitate the wider adoption of innovative new ag technologies that will enable producers to modernize their operations and keep pace with the growing demand for sustainable and trusted food sources,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel president and CEO.
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Image borrowed from SaskTel’s website, courtesy of The Olds College of Agriculture and Technology.
