Lethbridge College is throwing open its farm gates to showcase all it has to offer to Western Canada’s agricultural community. The college is hosting its first Field Day on July 13, which gives ag professionals and farmers the opportunity to tour the college’s research farm, meet with researchers and learn how the college’s rapidly expanding Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE) is ready to meet industry needs.
Taking place on the college’s 385-acre research farm just east of Lethbridge, the half-day tour is open to anyone who farms or works in the agriculture industry. Attendees will be shown around the farm, while hearing from researchers who work in the college’s Mueller Irrigation Group and Advanced Post-harvest Technology Centre.
“Our applied research programs are focused on finding real-world solutions for issues facing the agriculture industry,” says Megan Shapka, Director, Applied Research Operations. “We have exponentially increased our research facilities in support of our key areas of expertise in the past few years, so we want to invite anyone involved with the ag industry to come see our farm, learn about our research and create opportunities to connect on future projects.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from two of the college’s senior researchers. Dr. Willemijn Appels, senior research chair for the Mueller Irrigation Group, focuses on irrigation science and hydrology research. Dr. Chandra Singh, senior research chair in the Advanced Post-harvest Technology Centre, uses emerging technologies to create efficiencies in the drying, storage and processing of commodity and specialty crops. The work of both researchers was bolstered when the college was given management of the former Alberta Irrigation Technology Centre (Irrigation Demo Farm) from the provincial government in 2020.
“Producers, even in our own backyard, may not be aware of the depth and breadth of our increased applied research capacity, which we’ve really accelerated over the past four years,” says Shapka. “Adding the farm to our research facilities has been a game changer for our researchers, allowing them to create solutions for industry that improve water management, increase yields and improve the quality of product that gets to market.”
Lethbridge College’s Field Day allows attendees to choose a tour at either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. Anyone interested in attending can register for free online.