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Lakeland College adds ag tech degree program

Canadians can now obtain a degree in agricultural technology.

Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alta. is now offering a two-year, post-credential program for students looking to gain knowledge and experience in the various technological aspects of agriculture. The full-time program officially launches in fall 2021.

The program will consist of in-class education and experiential learning practicums off-campus, which the university says will help bridge the gap between emerging technologies and agricultural management and production systems.

Students will study crop and livestock farming, smart agriculture as a management system (including data analysis and use of tools such as robotics, AI and more), hardware and software platforms. Courses include emerging technologies in ag, economics of precision architecture and others. Lakeland will allow students to operate the technology on its student-managed farm, sponsored by New Holland.

Michael Crowe, Lakeland’s VP of academic and research, said in a statement that because of the growing amount of agricultural technology available, it is imperative that more students understand how to make the most of it. “Few people have an in-depth understanding of how to use [the technology] and the information it collects, or how to integrate that information into their commercial farm operations and agriculture businesses.” The new program, he says, will produce graduates who can make use of these technologies and optimize the commercial performances of their farms.

For more information on prerequisites and application, click here.