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By rdnewsNOW Staff

Sharing data and expertise

U of S Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence joins Olds College’s Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network

Jul 21, 2022 | 5:29 PM

The University of Saskatchewan Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) has officially joined Olds College’s Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, July 19 at a Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network presentation at the Ag in Motion Expo held at Discovery Farm in Langham, Sask.

The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network, launched and led by Olds College Smart Farm since 2021, is a network of Smart Farms committed to sharing data and expertise to help farmers, industry, and creators better understand, use, and develop smart agricultural technologies. The goal is to accelerate the development and adoption of agriculture technologies across Canada. The network includes Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm located at Langham, Sask., and Lakeland College located at Vermilion, Alta.

Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate Vice-President of Applied Research at Olds College, says the network’s expansion and collaboration across different agricultural zones and land bases brings more depth to the projects and technology evaluations conducted at Canada’s smart farms, which will benefit farmers and developers.

“We are so pleased to welcome the USask Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence into the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network,” said Agnew. “With additional partners come additional opportunities in applied research and education that will help producers maximize technology and data when they’re making those sometimes tough farm management decisions. Independent validation of ag technologies is critical and so is ensuring that validation is done using more than a single smart farm and more than one agro-climatic zone.”

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At LFCE, officials say researchers investigate different aspects of beef cattle production “from soil to supper” and test drive new options to enhance animal welfare, animal health, product quality, and food safety on Canada’s farms. LCFE has facilities, agricultural, environmental, economics and veterinary researchers to help support the advancement of innovation, education and adoption of agriculture technology, practices, and solutions in Saskatchewan and more.

“We are delighted to bring in the livestock aspect as we join the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network, and collaborate with Olds College, Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm at Langham, and Lakeland College,” said Dr. Scott Wright, Executive Director of LFCE, University of Saskatchewan. “We believe this network of smart farms creates an opportunity to facilitate and support ag tech innovation, development, and demonstration in support of sustainable production and to help producers maximize technology and data. We look forward to the road ahead.”

College officials believe linking smart farms across the country multiplies the learnings and increases the value of data generated to connect farmers with industry and research partners to find practical solutions to ag challenges.

With funding from the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network, they say the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network initiative will accelerate the development and adoption of ag technologies and systems, helping producers manage their risk of production to improve the productivity and sustainability of their farms.

Visit oldscollege.ca/smartfarmnetwork to learn more about the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network, or contact Olds College Centre for Innovation to inquire about joining.