Reading Time: 4 minutes A new youth academy at the University of Alberta aims to build on a longtime educator’s philosophy and give students a chance to get their hands dirty and feet wet. Frank Robinson started at the U of A in 1986, specializing in poultry production and physiology. He’s a longtime believer in “experiential” learning. To celebrate […] Read more
Youth academy to showcase agriculture, forestry and environment
Long-time educator Frank Robinson’s namesake academy will build on his legacy of experiential learning
Farmers and field trips provide something textbooks can’t offer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Linda Gorim’s goal for her agronomy students is to give them a hands-on experience. “My goal is to get them dirty, and I get them really dirty,” said Gorim, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta and the Western Grains Research Foundation chair in cropping systems. Her field crop agronomy course was created to […] Read more
Farm at Altario School is growing experiences and excitement
Reading Time: 4 minutes It started as a small tulip garden but has grown into a vibrant student-led farm that now entices kids to a once-struggling school in the tiny village of Altario. “This school gives us the opportunity to do things that we never thought we would do,” said Jessica Vert, a recently graduated Grade 9 student who […] Read more
Lethbridge College launches new Bachelor of Agriculture Science degree program
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lethbridge College is showing how it is ready to meet the changing needs of the agriculture industry by launching its Bachelor of Agriculture Science program. The degree program, which is unique to Lethbridge College, begins in September 2021 and offers opportunities for career development, a path to further education and hands-on research opportunities, while focusing […] Read more
Lakeland’s animal science centre getting upgrades
Reading Time: < 1 minute Lakeland College is getting $17.3 million in provincial funding for capital maintenance and an expansion of its WHT Mead Animal Science Centre. The centre is used by more than 550 agricultural sciences students, as well as those in environmental sciences and human services programs. The funding will be used for energy efficiency measures, collaborative student […] Read more
Pandemic brings trials and triumphs for ag students
Despite the difficult launch to their careers in the industry, students see bright future ahead
Reading Time: 6 minutes Brianna Dyck was supposed to be celebrating her college convocation the first weekend in June. But with post-secondary institutions shuttered by the pandemic, graduation was a small family affair. “My family has done a great job of trying to make it a big deal, but it feels like the school year should still be going […] Read more
Foreign workers starting to arrive, livestock group says
About 2,000 have recently arrived, several thousand more here soon, feeders say
About 2,000 foreign workers have arrived in Canada in recent weeks and more should be here soon, an official with the National Cattle Feeders Association says. “There are about 4,000 more that are expected to arrive shortly, so the process is starting to work,” Janice Tranberg, the association’s president and CEO, said during a telephone […] Read more
Student-managed farms at Lakeland College work to reflect the industries they serve
No ivory towers when students are running the show
Reading Time: 3 minutes Students are running the show at Lakeland College, and that’s just how they — and their prospective employers — like it. “Our student-led model has really been our big success at the college,” said Geoff Brown, associate dean of agricultural sciences. “On our student-managed farms, we really try to mimic the industries we’re in. We’re […] Read more
Classroom Agriculture Program still looking for volunteers
Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s still time to sign up as a volunteer for the Classroom Agriculture Program. For more than 30 years, volunteers across Alberta have taught Grade 4 students about the importance of agriculture in their daily lives. The program offers a free, one-hour-long, hands-on presentation about agriculture. About five hours are required for volunteers (which includes training, […] Read more
Alberta students win Monsanto Fund scholarships
Reading Time: < 1 minute Thirteen young Albertans are among the 65 students who have been awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the Monsanto Fund. The scholarships are for students entering their first year of agriculture or food-related studies at a Canadian university and college. Traditionally the Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship Program required applicants to be from a farm and entering […] Read more
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