Since the 2018 launch of THE Olds College Smart Farm and Smart Ag Innovation Centre, the college has continued to develop new agricultural programming.

Two projects funded in part by the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) and Alberta Barley are among a number studying the use of airborne disease spore collection devices—generally known as biosensors.

The University of Manitoba’s state-of-the-art model stomach mimics the digestive processes of the human stomach and upper intestine.

Commonly used for decades across North America, the analog Dole 400 Moisture Tester was a mainstay for farmers well after digital units featuring touchscreen display and Bluetooth connectivity took over.

With certain pockets of Western Canada being dealt losing hands at harvest year after year, grain drying is moving from a “nice to have” to a “need to have.”

Darcy Goossen has been farming full-time for more than two decades, but he’s been an inventor his whole life. The Ferintosh farmer can’t even count the number of “handy dandy farm tools” he’s made, but now there is one that certainly stands alone in his mind. Goossen’s Tiregrabber took home the prestigious honour of Best Invention at Canada’s Farm Progress Show (FPS) in Regina, SK, this past year. He edged out Robert Pytlyk, creator of a predator-proof chicken run.

Farmers are do-it-yourself (DIY) people. Determination and desperation leads many to become self-taught welders, mechanics, carpenters, and now, app developers. Sheila Elder and David Ricardo are two farmers who’ve solved problems by building apps.

Lower tire pressures in field equipment can reduce compaction while increasing yields, fuel efficiency and tire life. Advancements in central tire inflation (CTI) systems are making it easier for farmers to toggle efficiently between safe tire pressure for road travel and optimum pressure for field operations.

Operational software in farm equipment provides many benefits but can also limit a farmer’s freedom to independently
diagnose and repair problems.While manufacturers claim intellectual property rights over this software, farmers are forced to seek the services of an authorized repair provider (ARP) to manage equipment software and diagnose operational issues.