The program’s funding comes from a $10.5-million grant from the province over three years. This transition also increases the acres in the college’s Smart Farm, said Cullum.
“Our Smart Farm increased by 500 acres as a result of the addition of the FCDC. It's now a 2,500-acre Smart Farm that focuses on applied research, demonstration, teaching and learning,” Cullum told Farms.com.
This transition gives students more opportunities to engage in applied research environments, said Cullum.
“It gives our learners that much more access to what's happening in the agricultural applied research space,” he said.
Olds College staff will continue to work with industry to ensure the FCDC remains successful, said Cullum.
“One of the things that will come out very quickly from this process is an engagement and consultation with our industry,” he said. “We will reach out to our industry, working with the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions in particular and other institutions like the University of Alberta, to explore how we can enhance and ensure the FCDC is delivering on what it needs to do for producers.”
This agreement between the province and Olds College is part of the government’s commitment to ensure farmers lead agricultural research priorities. Eventually, Results Driven Agriculture Research, an arm’s length, non-profit organization, will manage funding responsibility for the program, the release said.
Photo credit: Olds College photo