The constant input of farmers has been key to the program, which recently finished its third cohort of attendees.

Training fills the gaps between agriculture and technology

Program aims to match tech specialists with farmers and industry employers

Reading Time: 4 minutes Say there’s trouble with the automated GIS and mapping features on the tractor, but you can’t find a tech with enough knowledge to offer help. It’s a simple example of the kind of employment gaps that keep farmers up at night, and that prevent their adoption of new technology, said the manager of an “upskilling” […] Read more

(Video screengrab from University of Guelph/OAC video via YouTube)

OAC to offer new master’s program in plant agriculture

New program would run alongside research-based degrees

Ontario Agricultural College is seeking approvals to offer a new master’s degree in plant agriculture, which would designate plant science professionals operating at a grad-school level but not on the traditional research-based path. OAC said Wednesday its proposed new “master of plant agriculture” (MPAg) program would allow recent graduates and professionals to “quickly upgrade education […] Read more


An artist’s rendering of the Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility at the University of Manitoba. Photo: University of Manitoba

Feds, Manitoba pledge $6.4M to ag research facility

The new facility will modernize crop and soil research and training at the University of Manitoba

The Federal and Manitoba governments have thrown their weight behind development of a facility touted to become Canada’s pre-eminent resource for field crop research. “A great deal of our agriculture industry’s success comes from research and skill development,” said federal ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau in a news release, Tuesday. Bibeau and Derek Johnson, Manitoba’s minister […] Read more

Luke Silinski, 17, is so passionate about ag technology that he created a non-profit company to provide agricultural education.

Alberta teen shares passion for agriculture through education

Free “content packs” delve into entomology, agronomy, plant and soil health

Reading Time: 3 minutes An Alberta farm kid is opening up the world of agriculture for other youths by distributing free learning kits. Luke Silinski, 17, grew up and lives on a farm in the Beiseker area. He has a passion for agriculture technology and wants to share it. Since 2021, Silinski has been distributing agricultural boxes that he […] Read more


Travel and learn with a Nuffield scholarship

Reading Time: < 1 minute The application window for 2024 Nuffield Canada scholarships opened on April 1.  Nuffield Canada annually offers four to six $20,000 scholarships to mid-career men and women aged 25 to 50, with a passion for agriculture, who are ready to challenge themselves in a self-directed program of international travel and study.  Recipients can come from all […] Read more

New MacDonald’s farm will need robots and other tech

Reading Time: < 1 minute Calgary high school students will get a chance to learn about agriculture – but not the Old MacDonald stereotype.  “We are looking for students who are interested in robotics, technology, business and problem solving,” said Jay Steeves, dean of the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology at Olds College, which is partnering with the Calgary Board […] Read more


Agriculture offers a host of opportunities for young women with a science and technology education, says Kassi Rinas, who graduated with a crop science degree last year and is now working as an agronomist for a crop input company.

The door is open and young women should walk through it

That’s the message of Feed Your Future, an initiative aimed at showcasing ag career opportunities

Reading Time: 3 minutes What Kassi Rinas does for a living is commonplace, but the agronomist also represents the changing face of a sector where men once had all the leading roles. “My favourite part of the job is being a part of the farmer’s operation from crop planning all winter to putting seed in the ground, spraying it […] Read more

Olds College offers digital ag degree program

Olds College offers digital ag degree program

Reading Time: < 1 minute Starting next fall, Olds College will offer a Bachelor of Digital Agriculture degree through a program created in collaboration with industry. “Students will engage in real-world problems and explore solutions using digital agriculture technologies and practices,” the college said in a release. “Graduates will be prepared to lead disruptive change in agriculture with a grounding […] Read more



A new online course is offering a number of free business modules for farmers.

Free business training for farmers on offer

Reading Time: < 1 minute A new online business course has been created for farmers who want to “take their agribusiness to the next level.”  The course, called Foundations in Agricultural Management, is free and is being offered by the University of Guelph’s ag college.  “Getting Ontario Agricultural College’s institutional knowledge into the hands of producers across Canada has always […] Read more