Lakeland College will undergo a significant growth spurt once it adds 1,400 acres of land to its existing 400 acre campus in Vermilion, Alta.The 97-year-old college plans to buy 100 percent of the shares of Barrhill Farms Ltd. of Vermilion, which includes farmland, three houses, two shops and grain bins.The deal requires an order-in-council from the Alberta government before it can be completed.The Barr family and Lakeland College have strong ties dating back to 1913 when the college opened as the Vermilion School of Agriculture.William Barr, the grandfather of Barrhill Farms owners Dean and Greg Barr, was a student in the college’s first class.The Barrs have done custom seeding and silaging for the college over the years, as well as lending equipment and touring hundreds of college students through the dairy barns.“The college is our neighbour and it seemed like a good fit,” Dean Barr said.The 900 acres of cultivated land and more than 500 acres of pastureland will be used by the college’s 250 agricultural science students, said Josie Van Lent, associate dean of the agriculture and environmental sciences school.“This purchase will secure the continuation of our unique student managed farm training model,” she said.The oil leases, reclaimed land, native grasslands and 120 acres of wetlands will serve as a lab site for the 220 students in the environmental sciences diploma and applied degree programs, added dean Mel Mathison.Students will be able to assess old lease sites, examine the productivity of reclaimed land, evaluate riparian areas, study wetland plants and test soil, within a 10 minute drive of the Vermilion campus.College president Glenn Charlesworth said Lakeland will use unrestricted net assets to buy the land.“About six years ago, we made a commitment to grow the college’s unrestricted net assets so we could take advantage of unexpected opportunities,” he said.“This is one such opportunity. I think years from now when we look back at this purchase, we’ll be very happy with our decision.”Lakeland College offers more than 60 programs and serves 3,200 full-time and 4,500 part-time credit students annually.It has campuses in Vermilion and Lloydminster.
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