The investment from TELUS Agriculture will be used for the development, acceleration and integration of technology into the global agrifood value chain
TELUS Agriculture invests $1m in Olds College Smart Farm. (Credit: Olds College.)
Olds College in Alberta, Canada has secured $1m investment from TELUS Agriculture for its 2,800-acre Smart Farm to develop new agriculture technologies.
The funding will be utilised for the development, acceleration and integration of technology into the global agri-food value chain.
Olds College stated the technology helps farmers as well as producers to optimise their operations and profits and access more accurately.
It will also support more efficient and sustainable food production using less inputs and reduced waste.
Established in 2018, the Olds College Smart Farm will act as a living lab for TELUS Agriculture to conduct applied research and test the real-world application of new technology in a commercial-scale agriculture setting.
Additionally, the Smart Farm provides an opportunity for students to learn and use new agtech in a practical environment.
Olds College said that the companies like TELUS can work with the industry to develop, scale, validate and demonstrate products which support sustainable food production and other agriculture products for the increasing global population.
Olds College president Stuart Cullum said: “The Olds College Smart Farm was launched to be a next-generation applied research and learning platform, where industry and students could engage in order to produce the next generation of leaders and leading companies.”
Last year, the Canadian government has announced more than C$1.9m funding for Olds College to support innovation in Alberta’s agriculture industry.