Another piece of the Smart Farm at Olds College is nearing completion.

The Director of Smart Ag for Olds College Jason Bradley says the UFA Innovation Lab will be a place where the data that is being collected on the Smart Farm can be visualized, analyzed and manipulated.

“The UFA Innovation Lab is a place where industry, students, instructors people can come and work through that ideation process and bounce ideas off of each other,” says Bradley.  “They can see where they can collaborate together and understand how one technology might marry into well with another and work through those things and create new ideas, new products and new solutions.”

United Farmers of Alberta President and CEO Carol Kitchen says they are excited about this partnership.

“It’s about innovation, it’s about bringing ideas with students together and our organization and hopefully ultimately bringing those new ideas to the farm so our farmers can benefit,” says Kitchen.

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Kitchen says this donation was a perfect fit for UFA.

“We know there are a lot technology changing in all parts of our business, but really at the farm.  So, with the Smart Farm they’re going to be looking at the application of new technology, UFA will be a part of that.

She adds they wanted to be a part of the innovation lab.

“Students can bring new ideas bounce them off leaders like ourselves and we can give them feedback on what they can do to make them more commercial and ultimately hopefully bring them to the field through the Smart Farm and to our members.“

The Innovation Lab was made possible thanks to a $500-thousand commitment made by UFA over 5-years to the Smart Farm.