Olds College is revamping its campus farm.
A new, specialized beef production course starting this September will see a 200-head feedlot opened for the fall semester and a cow/calf component starts in January, said course instructor Dennis Kennedy.
The agricultural production program has always had a strong beef component but as the industry changes, the Olds, Alta., college has attempted to keep in step with what the commercial cattle business wants and where it plans to go tomorrow, Kennedy said.
“We try to mirror what is going on in the industry.”
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The 1,400-acre farm is a teaching laboratory and has been operating since 1911. It has a livestock operation as well as a forage and grain side.
The new beef enterprise allows students to work in the college feedlot where they learn nutrition, animal health and other skills necessary to run a feed yard. They can also work in a commercial feedlot for seven weeks as part of the course.
The cow/calf component will take in about 400 privately owned cows. The students will help the cows calve and will care for the animals over the semester. The owners pay for feed.
“We get the educational benefits for our students and the industry gets the benefit of someone taking care of their cattle,” said Kennedy.
The swine section is a partnership with United Grain Growers. Unipork supplies the pigs and Unifeed provides feed rations.
Trout Enterprises provided a flock of 200 ewes for the sheep program. The college also has its own flock of 100 ewes and a Boer goat operation of 35 does.
The farm is dedicating land to applied research in precision farming. About 220 acres will be used for grain and forage production. Research will be gathered over five years and the data will be used in precision farming courses.
