Low student numbers and a reduced demand for craft beer have prompted the closure of both the program and the brewery.

WHY IT MATTERS: The Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program at Olds College was the only one of its kind in Alberta.

“The student enrolment really declined last year,” said Dennis Beaudoin, dean of the School of Trades and Skills at Olds College.

“It declined to the point where we didn’t have enough students to actually run the cohort.”

In February 2025, Olds College decided to suspend student intake for the Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program. The last group of students will graduate in April 2026.

Once the student intake was suspended, the college conducted a market analysis.

“I don’t think it’s much of a surprise to say the craft beverage industry has certainly declined, so the student demand just wasn’t there any more for the diploma,” he said.

Olds College has two breweries on campus. One is the commercial brewery at the Pomeroy Hotel, which will be closed in June 2026. The other brewery is a teaching brewery.

“We’re going to be looking at the program and see what we want to do moving forward. We may bring it back as a certificate, or it may go through our continuing education so that we can still serve some of the interest that’s out there,” he said.

The Olds College Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program was the only one in the province.

Decline of program and craft brewing market

When the program began in 2013, there was a cohort of 25 students with a waitlist twice as long. The program was a two-year diploma.

“Back in 2013, there was a lot of student demand and then actually right from that day forward is when the decline started to happen,” said Beaudoin.

Student cohorts began to consist of 10-15 people.

“What’s happening with the last one, we were down to single digits for student interest. And that’s what led to the closure.”

Beaudoin said the craft brewery market has changed drastically over the years.

From 2010 to 2012, people began opening craft breweries, and there was a lot of competition and breweries promoting their products. Since 2023, alcohol consumption has declined drastically.

“When you look at the market mix, when you look at beer or spirits or anything like that, what’s happening is a kick on the beer side. Spirits have been maintaining their market share, but beer has taken a drastic hit with their market share,” he said.

Young people today are not drinking as much as older generations, and many people are cutting down on alcohol consumption due to financial constraints, said Beaudoin.

The commercial brewery initially opened in partnership with the Pomeroy Hotel on campus. Olds College had a hospitality program, which they ran through the hotel and decided to start the brewery program.

The program focused on beer to start, but as student demand declined the program began to include meads, wine and seltzers.

“We changed the way we delivered the program over the last couple of years, but it’s still not doing what we need to do to make sure we’re making the college sustainable,” he said.

Beaudoin said while the decision has been made, there’s still a lot of sadness over the closure of the brewery.

Nine staff will be let go by the end of June. This includes the staff from the brewery and a couple of faculty members.

“If there was anyone who wanted to save this program, it was me. I think everyone here is disappointed because (the brewery) was a real fabric of Olds College,” he said.

“It’s no secret that post-secondaries across the sector are having challenges, and we’re all trying to figure out ways to be sustainable. And unfortunately, this is one of the decisions we had to make.”

The Olds College Brewery will remain open for sales until June 2026 and is open to anyone who wants to stop by and support its final season of brewing.

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“We made some changes to AgSmart last year. It worked out well, but we felt we needed some further refinement,” said Todd Ormann, vice-president of external relations and research at Olds College.

“When we sat down and we started looking at where we’re at, it became clear that we didn’t think we had it strategically aligned yet. We really need some time to rework that out.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Olds College is a key hub for agriculture education and research, but its AgSmart event needs revamping to better serve attendees and the industry.

Making all the necessary changes to AgSmart by July 2026 was not feasible.

AgSmart is an educational exposition and is becoming more of a conference instead of a trade show.

Conferences don’t tend to make a lot of money, and the model to host AgSmart needs to be sustainable.

AgSmart premiered in 2019, paused during COVID-19 in 2020, and started up again in 2021. AgSmart partnered with Agri-Trade in 2024.

Over the years, people came for the presentations and displays.

“We always get good feedback and scores on the speeches, the talks and all those pieces,” Ormann said.

Changes needed

However, some of the vendors who paid for booth space were not getting the amount of traffic they wanted.

“People are not coming to visit those like they do at Ag in Motion, or Agri-Trade. They’re coming for the speakers,” he said.

Ormann said the group needs to think about how they restructure. AgSmart is likely going to become a conference, with on-ground learning sites, he said.

“We’re thinking about how we position this show as an exposition that showcases a lot of applied research that we see here in Canada and Western Canada. We’d like to get better engagement from places like Lethbridge Polytechnic, Lakeland College, Assiniboine College and the University of Saskatchewan,” he said.

“We haven’t started those conversations yet.”

Last year, AgSmart went from being a full field tent-based set up to a conference that had indoor talks on campus as well as some outdoor demonstrations. Ormann said the new event format received a lot of good feedback, and people appreciated air conditioning in the middle of July.

Who attends the show

Ormann said the other nuance is who is targeted to attend the show.

“It is really a combination of farmers, industry and government. The unique thing is because it’s a learning exposition, it’s a good opportunity for the entire industry to get together and collaborate across the spectrum. That’s where we’re trying to go with the show, whereas Ag in Motion is really focused at farmers, and so is Agri-Trade,” he said.

AgSmart hopes to become more of an exposition to merge researchers, industry, farmers and government funders.

The show has mainly focused on ag tech, both in the livestock and crop sectors.

“We’re always going to have a strong product focus, and a focus on technology, but we can also have conversations about agriculture and what we need as an industry to basically go forward,” Ormann said.

He said the group needs to think about how they develop a learning exposition, and how they engage others in showcasing their research.

“And we do want to make sure people see it as a western Canadian show,” he said.

The show was previously three days, but there is a discussion about shortening it to two. Ormann said AgSmart is also examining ideal dates. The show is currently held in July.

“It’s honestly really hard to find that right time, because there is Calgary Stampede, Westerner Days, Ag in Motion and by August, southern Alberta is harvesting again,” he said.

If the show is less field-based, it might be possible to move it out of July, said Ormann.

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Chris Paterson, executive director of AgSphere, has extensive experience working with big and small companies in Alberta and the United States.

Through his storied career, Paterson saw the innovation process work in multinationals, corporate venture capital, corporate innovation and research and development.

WHY IT MATTERS: A physical hub for innovation in agri-food in Calgary will help keep innovators and investors in Western Canada instead of taking their talents and dollars elsewhere.

When Paterson moved back to Canada, he spotted gaps in the ecosystem, compared to jurisdictions he’d been involved with in Europe and the U.S., including Raleigh, N.C., St. Louis, Mo., and Austin, Texas.

“There were places I’d seen innovation happen, not just within one company or one university. It was an ecosystem. What we lacked was a coordinated effort,” he said.

Paterson noticed isolation between companies, scientists and investors, who were all working in silos.

He wanted to focus on innovation and join players together including universities, investors, multinationals and start up innovators. He also wants to include farmers and consumers in the equation.

He received $2.75 million in funding from the Calgary Economic Development Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF).

Calgary Economic Development was the first partner, followed by the Calgary Stampede, Olds College and AdFarm, who will be contributing strategy and marketing.

The consortium came together in spring 2025, and AgSphere launched publicly on Dec. 2. Paterson is working on expanding the network globally.

“Just a few years ago, say pre-COVID, we did not have agri-food focused investors, and we did not have agri-food focused tech and we did not have SMART Farms emerging across the nation,” he said.

“There is momentum right now. Some of these strategic innovation assets have already started to emerge and we’re fuelling that up. What AgSphere is, is a hub to try and co-ordinate the process of innovation and the things I call innovation assets, in a meaningful way.”

New home in the works

The company has an office but will soon be based on the Calgary Stampede grounds and will feature a science and educational centre on agri-food. Food innovation will be happening on site, which could include food labs, a food court and the opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase what they’re doing and show it to the public. The site will also feature a co-working space and an events centre.

“You couldn’t get a better place to base an innovation hub. Because ultimately, it’s not only the upstream of innovation which could happen in an innovation campus or even on a university,” he said.

The Stampede grounds are currently in the process of reconstruction, so AgSphere doesn’t have a specific relocation date yet.

Based on success

Paterson named Innovation Place at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as an example of a successful innovation hub.

“We want to do more of that, because we have a lot of other really strategic assets here, which includes our farms and our universities that are underutilized and maybe even unknown,” he said.

“We don’t have a lack of capital, but we need to use our capital and attract our capital to stay here and not leap to other jurisdictions.”

Other goals of AgSphere include stopping the leaking of capital and the talent pool. Paterson wants entrepreneurs and research and development to stay here.

“Let’s use our assets locally and not send them away to other jurisdictions that are better organized. The second goal is just to drive innovation more purposely towards outcomes. … So commercial outcomes, whether that is export products, new food products or in the realm of technology, data, robotics and autonomy,” he said.

“We have a lot of talent and a lot of competencies in these areas, but we often don’t have the right mix to fund them all the way down the pathway, and then we lose them before they become commercial successes.”

“We need to do a better job of being purposeful about where we should be innovating, that will be here, and employ people, pay tax revenue and interact with the public.”

Global reach, local impact

AgSphere already has a partnership with European Innovation and Technology (EIT) and it’s part of the European Union Innovation fund and has existed for 14 years.

“They’ve already figured out a lot of the important things for an innovation community, like governance, structure, the corporate partnership model and the university engagement model,” said Paterson.

AgSphere will be following EIT’s example, to move faster and make fewer mistakes and will also be collaborating with EIT to figure out their internal processes. Canada is already an investor in Horizon EU.

“We’re part of the member countries as if we were part of the EU. We have some rights and privileges there to get funding back for our entrepreneurs here,” he said.

Paterson said market access is an advantage for a Calgary-based business. But even though Calgary is the hub of AgSphere, the geography of the hub will be much larger. It will eventually spread through the Prairies and to the rest of Canada.

“It’s a Canada-wide innovation network,” he said.

Future-forward

One of the next steps is an exchange of entrepreneurs with EIT. They will send a cohort of tech companies to Canada and AgSphere will give them a “red carpet experience” where they will be able to meet investors, customers, retailers, universities and processors and see what type of grants exist.

This process could encourage European companies to move to Canada or set up an office here.

Canadian tech companies will also be travelling to Europe, and EIT would provide those solid connections, and explain European opportunities.

Paterson said AgSphere also has opportunities in Asia, Australia and Brazil.

“The first thing you’ll see from AgSphere will be the exchange of entrepreneurs. The next thing you’ll see is the events that will be for attracting the talent pool and attracting capital to this jurisdiction,” he said.

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That was the message from Semeton Amosu, a research associate and soil scientist in the crop research and environmental stewardship departments at Olds College.

Amosu spoke to attendees at the school’s AgSmart Expo in July, emphasizing the importance of a holistic view of soil health.

“A living soil responds to everything done to it,” Amosu explained, drawing attention to the often-overlooked complexity of soil systems.

“There are many things we do that we are not even aware of with regard to the soil, and that’s why we might think we’re getting a good deal in the field. But if we pay attention to our data, we may realize the soil is actually undergoing decline.”

Throughout the seminar, Amosu highlighted the importance of keeping soil covered to protect it from environmental hazards.

“The first level where you want to keep your soil alive is to ensure that the soil is covered. If you are not growing anything, don’t open it up. Cover it with grasses or stubble,” he advised.

This simple practice, he noted, can prevent erosion and maintain the soil’s vital functions.

Amosu also addressed the growing use of technology in agriculture, such as laser beams and UV lights for rapid soil testing.

“While technology is beautiful, we must ensure it doesn’t harm beneficial soil microbes. If these tools kill the bacteria and fungi that support soil health, we may be doing more harm than good.”

A key theme of the seminar was the distinction between soil fertility and productivity.

“A fertile soil is not necessarily productive, but a productive soil is always fertile,” Amosu said.

He explained that nutrients must be available to plants, not just present in the soil, and that factors like moisture and soil structure play a critical role in crop success.

To help farmers and agronomists better assess their soil, Amosu is developing a comprehensive soil health scorecard. This tool will allow users to evaluate their soil based on physical, chemical and biological indicators — ranging from earthworm populations and biodiversity to pH levels and soil texture.

He said the scorecard would allow farmers to quantify those indicators in their soil, and then do a simple calculation to rate the health of their soil. This would be an initial diagnosis of the soil’s vital signs before diving deeper into an analysis.

“It’s like a medical checkup for your soil,” he said.

“You need to know the vital signs before you can treat any problems.”

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This award, which was given on July 29, is the highest honour the college bestows. It recognizes organizations who have demonstrated exceptional support and commitment to Olds College’s vision of advancing agriculture.

FCC was also awarded Partner of the Year in 2020.

“It’s the first time anyone has actually been partner of the year twice,” said Todd Ormann, Vice President of External Relations and Research at Olds College.

He said the recognition over the two years indicates that FCC is not just a one-year partner, but a consistent supporter over the years.

“I do want to mention that we appreciate the long-term strategic thinking that comes from FCC, because it really does show how you can support ag long-term,” he said.

Ormann said Olds College is not a massive institution. There are only about 500 staff, and 3,800 students. Class sizes are small.

“When you think about the things we do in agriculture, we have courses in heavy duty mechanics and welding, and we have a lot of stuff on the animal health side. We differentiate ourselves because of our ability to both teach and do research,” he said.

The college has over 3,000 acres, a 1,000 head feedlot of cattle, 130 head of cattle, and some sheep and horses.

Olds College does punch above its weight in research and has been recognized as one of the top 15 colleges in Canada for research.

The research at the central Alberta post-secondary institution is done at scale.

“To do the research, we have to do it with modern equipment and everything else,” said Ormann.

“We rely heavily on partnerships. From a research perspective, we have worked with about 500 companies since 2018.”

About 50 of those companies would be called partners, said Ormann.

“To make this work, we need to do things like the research and teaching, and we also need to be able to do things like AgSmart. We also need to be able to sponsor the research. We need those additional funds to take students to events and things of that nature,” he said.

“This is where FCC comes into play,” said Ormann.

FCC has helped with soil-based environmental research studies and has also sponsored Olds College to take students to Agribition in Regina, Sask. FCC is also keen to support AgAmart, Ormann said.

“This is almost as critical as research, because you do have to not just do the research, but you have to do the dissemination,” he said.

Unlike universities which do discovery research, Olds College is focussed on applied research. The college is more interested in economic development and testing, validating and showcasing technology.

FCC has contributed financially to numerous projects at Olds College. Their money supports the Smart Farm and the Smart Farm’s Operations Centre. Ormann described the operations centre as a farm shop, which has space for all the researchers. Equipment can be brought inside and worked on, but the building also houses the farm management team, the research team and the field research team.

“There are offices, but again, the really important piece is that we actually have a heated shop to bring equipment in and work on it,” said Ormann. Bins and cold storage are located right beside the Smart Farm’s Operations Centre.

Another project FCC and Olds College have cooperated on together is the AgExpert Field Project, which uses an FCC software system.

The Forage Quality and Quantity on Converted Marginal Areas is another project funded by FCC. This project looks at marginal land alternate use cases and measures return of investment on them.

Ormann said the project examines whether it is better to put marginal land in grassland for cattle or Ducks Unlimited, rather than farming it.

Other projects that FCC and Olds College are working on include the transformation of marginal cropland into perennial vegetation, and a land restoration project.

FCC’s support has also helped create the Producer Panel, which has been operating for about six years. The Producer Panel is a group of significant producers across western Canada that the college meets with regularly to have discussions about what is relevant and what is not relevant, said Ormann.

“Now those producers as well, though, that’s kind of transforming into becoming more of a panel to both test and validate equipment,” said Ormann.

He would like to be doing product development on research farms and in research environments, and market development on farms — allowing producers to test innovations to get feedback on them, position them, and figure out how they should be sold and adjusted.

Ormann said he can see the Producer Panel transforming from a panel of guidance to an extension of the research farm.

The partnership between FCC and Olds College works well because they are both aligned on agriculture.

“At the end of the day, FCC wants to see agriculture succeed. We’re almost always aligned in terms of what our long-term goals are,” he said.

akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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The small device, known as the imPulse Una, is an infrasound to ultrasound AI stethoscope.

“The technology was invented by Level 42 AI in the Silicon Valley in California,” said Yaogeng Lei, research scientist at the Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production at Olds College.

In 2022, Level 42 AI opened their Canadian branch in Edmonton at the University of Alberta. They named it Vibrome Canada and decided it would hold all the company’s intellectual properties for animal research.

After Olds College connected with Vibrome Canada, the two struck a deal to collaborate on trialling the technology for sheep.

“The first time when they came over to visit us and they showed us the technology, it was very cool for us to look at,” said Lei.

From sound to ultrasound

Infrasound refers to sound waves below the frequency of human hearing, while ultrasound waves are high frequency.

It’s that higher sound frequency window that most think of when it comes to medical imaging of soft tissues, whether in a sheep or a person.

The imPulse Una, however, runs a much wider range. It tracks acoustic signals from the infrasound to the ultrasound, including both audible and inaudible vibrations. From there, the system’s artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithm makes sense of the sound patterns. All information is transferred to Vibrome via the cloud.

Data collected from the vibrational frequencies can be linked to the animal’s health, physiology and age.

“But all this work needs a lot of data collection to build the model first. What we are currently working on is the initial data collection,” he said.

Practical applications

The college and company first set their eyes on using the technology to detect barber’s pole worm.

“It’s a very important parasite infection in sheep, in the small ruminants,” Lei said.

Mature worms live in the stomach of sheep and goats, suck on the stomach membranes and drink the animal’s blood. If there’s enough of them, the animal becomes anemic.

“In severe cases, the animal would drop dead,” said Lei.

This typically happens in the early spring, when worms from the previous year wake from hibernation and continue to mature.

They can also become an issue for young lambs who go out on pasture and pick up the parasite.

“If they ingest enough worms, they could also have a severe reaction,” the researcher noted, adding that, even in less severe infections “the animals would still suffer from production loss because they must fight with the parasites, who create wounds in their stomachs.”

One University of Calgary study also noted burgeoning treatment challenges. After testing 20 sheep farms, the study found an alarming number of barber’s pole worms already resistant to dewormer.

Lei said this indicated a need for better parasite management plan for sheep flocks. Currently, there are only two approved dewormers for sheep in Canada.

The trial, which put the imPulse Una to work looking for signs of infection, verified results with blood and bowel markers to identify parasite infections.

Sheep were separated into four groups. Two groups were a control, while the others were inoculated with barber’s pole worm larvae. Of the two inoculated groups, one group was left untreated, while the other one was treated with dewormer on day 28.

Before that treatment, though, researchers pulled out the imPulse Una.

“We collected (data) for 10 animals from each group in December,” said Lei.

The AI stethoscope gathered data from five locations on each animal: the heart, lungs, neck, stomach and intestines.

Results showed the device was able to distinguish infected ewes from non-infected ones on day 28.

Researchers followed up their data collection on day 35, 42 and 56.

The research team then looked at ewe pregnancy checks. It was Lei’s thought that, if the device could detect parasites in the stomach, it should also work for a fetus.

Those pregnancy check trials began last winter. Again, researchers collected vibrational signal data from different locations of the sheep’s body, including the neck, heart, lungs and regions where the fetus would be developing.

They then did ultrasound scans on the same animals in late January and early February to compare the accuracy of their AI machine learning model.

Researchers are currently collecting data on the end results of those pregnancies, such as lambing date and number of lambs from each ewe. They are still waiting for some animals to lamb.

Once they do, all the data collected will be shared with Vibrome to build linkages between the data and real-world results.

Farmers may one day be able to preg check their own sheep using the system. That would be a boon in an industry where there aren’t enough ultrasound techs or veterinarians to go around.

“I’m hoping the pregnancy check will be the first commercial function that the company can sell to farmers,’” Lei said.

Outside of livestock, the researcher noted, there’s implications for human health. The device could conceivably be used to detect preeclampsia and gestational diabetes in pregnant women earlier and more accurately.

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Debbie Thompson, who has served in a variety of roles since starting at Olds College in 2014, was appointed to the position May 1 following a “thorough and extensive review process” by the college’s board of governors.

“We are just so thrilled to welcome Dr. Debbie Thompson as the president and CEO of Olds College,” wrote Al Kemmere, chair of the board of governors at the venerable ag school, in a May 1 news release.

“As a board, we took great care to consult broadly across the college community and to learn those key attributes and characteristics that would be important in a leader of our organization at this time.

“This appointment is an unreserved statement of confidence that she is the very person we need to lead Olds College into the future.”

The position isn’t new to Thompson, who has served as interim president for eight months. Her previous roles at the college have included vice-president academic, vice -president academic and student experience, vice-president student and support services and dean of animal sciences and horticulture.

Prior to Olds College, Thompson was employed for over 20 years in the K-12 education system as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, vice-principal and principal.

She holds a doctor’s of education in educational leadership through National University, a bachelor’s of education degree from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree from Royal Roads University.

“Thompson leads by collaboratively seeking and assessing opportunities that are supported by evidence, aligning the strengths and capabilities of the college and coordinating the engagement of the college community to maximize the benefit for students, industry and the college,” read the news release.

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“If you’re not familiar with the islands at all, basically it’s an island constructed to grow plants on its surface,” said Dan Karran, principal investigator, ecohydrologist and instructor in the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology at Olds College. He emphasized the data in this project is preliminary.

Karran and his team wanted to find out whether native wetland plants grown on the islands could clean water in cattle feedlot ponds. Floating islands, which are four feet by eight feet, are started on peat moss, but the root system develops into the water body.

“In a lot of ways, it’s kind of like hydroponics,” said Karran.

The plant roots take up nutrients and other contaminants from the water. Floating islands are patented technology created by Tannas Conservation Services, who were working with Olds College on other projects. The islands are an environmentally-friendly, natural technology powered by sunlight.

Storm ponds in a cattle feedlot are water that runs off the feedlot during a storm.

“It’s a holding pond for all that water, because, as you can imagine, if you have a storm on an area where there’s 12,000 cattle, you’ve got a lot of contaminants entering that runoff,” said Karran.

The federal government has passed legislation that these ponds cannot spill into natural waterways, said Karran.

“They have to be contained, and they can’t leak into groundwater, because they’re very high in contaminants, nutrients, e.coli, harmful bacteria and a whole host of other things,” he said.

“They’re probably the most extreme environment you can test these islands out in because they are so contaminated with such a variety of different contaminants,” he said.

The researchers tested the floating islands at two feedlots near Linden in central Alberta. They also had a control pond without any islands at Olds College. The project involved 55 islands in total: 41 at one site and 14 at another smaller site.

The goal was to use native cold climate wetland species normally found in in northern and southern Alberta. The islands were installed and monitored for two seasons. Six plants were planted on the islands, but only three survived. Each of the surviving plants performed differently.

“We found that Baltic Rush performed the best, Water Sedge the second best and Wheat Sedge the third best,” said Karran.

The plants were able to remove a sizeable number of contaminants from the water. Researchers found the plants removed 69 per cent more ammonia, 55 per cent more total phosphorus and 27 per cent more total nitrogen compared to the Olds College control feedlot ponds. The islands also removed 93 per cent more copper, 81 per cent more aluminum and 77 per cent more zinc, compared to the Olds College control pond.

High concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in water can pose problems and lead to algae blooms.

“If you have too many algae in the water, it suffocates all the other aquatic plants and animals,” he said.

Blue green algae can produce a toxin which can kill or injure animals.

“Cleaning dirty water is important so that you can reuse the water, or you can put it back into its natural environment. In Alberta, especially right now, we’re dealing with potentially scary drought conditions,” said Karran.

“Water is a lot more variable these days because of pressures like climate change and that sort of thing.”

Karran said there is a lot more competition for water resources.

“When you’ve got these large volumes of dirty water sitting on some of these ag operations, if there’s a way to clean that water so that you can reuse it, and clean it in an economical way, so then it’s available for reuse around your operation, that’s an economic benefit to the operator,” he said.

The research project began in 2020. The next step is to look at the rate of return of investment.

“How much can you expect to get out of these islands for the cost? Is it worth it, for larger scale environments or the small environment?” said Karran.

The final report from the project should be available in September 2025.

Karran said the use of floating islands may be transferable to other bodies of water, such as farm dugouts and water ponds on golf courses.

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According to a Feb. 25 Olds College news release, all three animal health programs including veterinary technician assistant (VTA), veterinary medical receptionist (VMR) and veterinary technician (VT) diploma will now have intakes in fall, winter and spring starting in September 2025.

Also, graduates of the four-month VTA program will be able to transition directly into the second term of VMR, allowing them to complete both programs in two terms instead of three. Graduates from the VTA program may also be eligible.

After completing VMR, graduates can enter the workforce or apply for admission to the VT diploma through the alternate admission pathway. The VT diploma program includes four semesters on campus plus a six-week practicum.

The college has also signed an articulation agreement with St. Matthew’s University, Cayman Islands, creating a direct pathway for students pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. An articulation agreement allows transfer of credits to a separate post-secondary institution.

“These program enhancements reflect our commitment to providing students with flexible, high-quality education that aligns with industry needs,” wrote Amos Ngai, dean of the School of Life Science and Business at Olds College.

“By expanding intakes, streamlining pathways and strengthening career opportunities, we are equipping future animal health professionals with the skills and experience needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving field.”

The newly renovated Animal Health Education Centre opened in Fall 2024. It includes a small animal hospital with surgical, dental and radiology suites, diagnostic labs and animal housing space. The new facility also integrates with large animal treatment areas on the Olds College Smart Farm.

Western Canada has been experiencing a vet shortage for several years. The phenomenon has been studied since 2020, and the shortage is projected by some experts to last through 2031.

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Due to a significant reduction in international student enrolment and a decline in operational grant funding from the Alberta government, Olds College is suspending intake into three program areas for the fall 2025 term:

• Agriculture technology integration (post-diploma certificate)

• Craft beverage and brewery operations (diploma)

• Hospitality and tourism management (certificate, diploma, post-diploma certificate)

As well, intake into the business management diploma three-day cohort on campus and the business management diploma at Concordia University College (Edmonton) are also suspended.

“Olds College remains committed to providing high-quality education, experiences and support to our students,” Debbie Thompson, Olds College interim president, said in a news release Feb. 27.

“In order to navigate the growing demands and complex issues in the post-secondary system, we’ve been reviewing our program mix to ensure we align with industry needs, student demand and institutional priorities to ensure long-term stability for Olds College. The educational journey and success of our students remain our top priority.”

Olds College will continue with second-year courses for the affected programs for current students as they complete their studies.

IRCC announced in January 2024, that a cap would be set on international student permit applications for the next two years. In 2024, that cap was set at approximately 360,000 approved study permits, which was a decrease of 35 per cent from the previous year.

However, in reality that number ended up being around 280,000 approved permits. Only 91,000 of those were approved for new students in post-secondary institutions.

In January 2025, IRCC announced it expects a 10 per cent decrease in permit approvals from the previous year.

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