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Olds College, USask sign MOU to share digital agriculture data

Olds College has agreed to collaborate in joint activities with the University of Saskatchewan related to automation and increased incorporation of digital data in agriculture.
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Olds College signed an agreement to collaborate with the University of Saskatchewan to help improve agriculture technology. (Contributed photo).

Olds College has agreed to collaborate in joint activities with the University of Saskatchewan related to automation and increased incorporation of digital data in agriculture.

The memorandum of understanding between the two institutions initially covers a five-year period and will be governed by a joint committee of representatives.

“Olds College and University of Saskatchewan have long histories of being catalysts of innovation in the agriculture industry,” said Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate VP, Applied Research, Olds College in a press release.

“With the MOU in place, we look forward to working closely with USask to continue to provide technical solutions and training opportunities for the agriculture and agri-food industry. One of the first areas of collaboration will be supporting livestock research by connecting the college’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production with the USask Livestock Forage Centre of Excellence.”

Areas that could benefit from working together include sensors and sensing, data transfer and security, data analytics, and artificial intelligence and controls to support the growing technical shift in agricultural production.

USask is home to the Global Institute for Food Security, the Global Institute for Water Security and the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, as well as the College of Engineering, and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, which have been catalysts of many agricultural innovations.

Olds College is home to Canada’s first Smart Farm; a 2,800-acre interconnected environment that leverages the college’s agriculture operations and applied research programming, in order to provide product development and demonstration venue to accelerate agriculture technology and agri-food development.