Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers are making some pretty big decisions off test strips — and that scares JP Pettyjohn. “We could flip a coin and pretty much come up with the same answer,” said Pettyjohn, a crop technology instructor at Lakeland College. “I don’t want an answer. I want the right answer.” Small-plot trials have been widely used […] Read more
Scaling up: How to take small-size research from plot to field
Many farmers are skeptical of small-plot research results, but proper protocols are needed to scale up to a field level
New animal health clinic almost ready
Reading Time: < 1 minute Construction of a new animal health clinic at Lakeland College’s Vermilion campus should be completed by March, with the animal health technology and veterinary medical assistant programs set to move into the $8.2-million, 15,000-square-foot facility by September. The clinic has a larger lab space, separate cat and dog wards, a dental lab, a new surgical […] Read more
‘Build your cow herd’ workshops on tap
Workshops begin Oct. 23 and run to early November across Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute Wondering how to use genomics, deal with lower-quality feed, or about health issues faced by cattle producers in your area? Then you may want to attend one of 10 workshops being held across Alberta in late October and early November. The ‘Tools to build your cow herd’ workshops are being put on by Alberta Agriculture […] Read more
College opens state-of-the-art dairy centre
The $9.5-million facility will be used by hundreds of students annually and also offer short continuing education courses
Reading Time: 2 minutes Anew $9.5-million dairy facility at Lakeland College will offer students cutting-edge learning opportunities in areas such as calf management, feed and nutrition, cow comfort, dairy-specific software, and manure management. About 500 people turned out for the recent official opening of the 46,600-square-foot facility at the college’s Vermilion campus. “The Dairy Learning Centre replaces Lakeland’s previous […] Read more
The gap between genomics theory and real-life cattle production
Genotyping works well in the purebred world, but not so much in a commercial herd
Reading Time: 2 minutes Lakeland College’s student-managed farm’s research project brings together visual appraisal, phenotypic data from a residual feed intake test, and genomics to measure a herd of 50 heifers. “We wanted to take in visual and phenotypic data, and because we have so many tools with genomics, we wanted to add that as a third level to […] Read more
College pioneers first livestock research student-managed farm
Managing a research herd is a different ball of wax, and students and instructors say it teaches many new skills
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sixteen students are getting a taste of applied research as part of Lakeland College’s first student-managed farm livestock research team. The second-year students, all enrolled in animal science technology, are managing a herd of 50 cattle involved in research trials. “They have to manage the herd for profitability, but we also have a commercial (cattle) […] Read more
Come together: Beef industry gathers under one roof at national conference
Inaugural conference shows there is an appetite for all parts of the beef industry to work together for the common good
Reading Time: 3 minutes They came from across Western Canada and as far away as New Brunswick. And all of them were passionate about beef. The inaugural Canadian Beef Industry Conference, held at the beginning of August, was more of a success than anyone anticipated. More than 650 people from all sectors of the beef industry came from across […] Read more
Learn how to grade your grain
July 26 workshop to be held in Vermilion
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Making the Grade workshops will be held at Lakeland College in Vermilion on July 26. Experts will show producers how to grade barley, wheat, canola, and pulses in hands-on sessions. “Understanding grain grading and factors affecting quality is important for all crop producers as it affects their bottom line,” said Terry Young, a producer […] Read more
New cattle herd for Lakeland College
Reading Time: < 1 minute Lakeland College has developed a new livestock research team, which will manage Lakeland’s livestock research projects, as well as a new herd of 50 cattle for research projects and demonstrations. “Since we already demonstrate a purebred beef herd and an intensively managed beef herd, we thought it was a good opportunity to run a group […] Read more
College farm completes Environmental Farm Plan
Reading Time: < 1 minute Lakeland College is the first post- secondary institution in Alberta to complete an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). From January to April, about 50 second-year students in animal science technology, crop technology, and other programs worked together to complete the EFP on the college’s student-managed farm at the Vermilion campus. The experience enabled the students to […] Read more
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