By Sheldon Spackman

Olds College and Agri-Trade team up to launch AgSmart next summer

Nov 8, 2018 | 2:11 PM

Olds College has teamed up with Agri-Trade in Red Deer to announce a cutting-edge, high-tech Ag event next summer focused on technology and data across the agriculture sector.

AgSmart will take place August 13-14, 2019 at Olds College and will offer a hands-on demonstration and education experience focused on how to gather data and how to use it to enhance productivity and profits.

During the two-day expo, farmers will have an opportunity to interact with high-tech Ag players and try out the latest innovations first-hand.

The show will also feature education workshops, in-field demonstrations and an exhibit fair profiling some of the latest commercialized products transforming the Ag Industry.

project will take one year

Construction activity to start on hospital parkade expansion

2h ago

Red Deer man charged after police locate stolen vehicle

2h ago

City and County to collaborate on regional economic development with NRED grant

5h ago

Agri-Trade Show Manager David Fiddler says AgSmart will be much different than traditional Ag shows.

“All the activities are going to be focused on education and bringing new technologies and services and products to the farm community,” he explains. “Farmers are becoming more sophisticated and as they’re capturing data, what we’ve found is a lot of farmers aren’t using it to its full capacity. So what we’re trying to do is provide a venue where they can learn how to capture data right from the weather stations through to yield mapping, monitoring, with livestocks from Genomix, feed efficiency and all those things that can make farmers more profitable.”

Suzanne Bielert, AgSmart Co-Manager, says the event will be great for all producers to come to, even if they don’t feel tech-savy.

“They can come in, see the technology, put their hands on it, really experience it in a very low-key setting and learn about how to use it even when they go home,” states Bielert. “Farmers can use both the equipment, as well as a simple app on their smart phone to collect their data when they’re out in the field and then upload it when they’re back in their house. I hope they learn what more they can do with all the new advancements in technology and see what the future of agriculture really will be.”

Olds College President Stuart Cullum says AgSmart will give them the opportunity to showcase their technology and applied research demonstration activities to the world.

“We already have the demonstration of next-generation technology happening on our campus through our Smart Farm and through the ways in which we’re developing our real-world learning spaces on campus, so it’s just a natural venue to have an event like this” adds Cullum. “We’re really looking at how we can transform our 2,000 acres into a place where teaching, learning, applied research and demonstration of next-generation agriculture is going to occur. So AgSmart is just a natural component of that and we’re really excited about the event and what it’s going to be able to do for our agriculture sector.”