About

Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is a technical institution offering industry demand-driven programming with an intensive focus on agriculture and technology. Olds College is known for high-tech, hands-on agriculture education and innovative applied research that lays the foundation for solving real-world problems in farming, food and land — and is one of Canada's Top 10 Research Colleges.

Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) and the Smart Farm are accelerating the development and adoption of technologies and practices that result in improved productivity, profitability and sustainability of the agriculture and agri-food industry through industry-driven applied research.

The Smart Farm is made up of 3,600 acres of land for crop and forage production including state-of-the-art equipment and technology, 1,000-head capacity feedlot, commercial cow/calf herd, Purebred Red Angus herd and sheep flock — as well as expertise and leadership in ag tech research and development. The Smart Farm also has access to greenhouses, labs, incubator space, a brewery, the National Meat Training Centre, plus additional infrastructure.

New technologies for agriculture require in-field testing and validation in the setting of an operating farm to move through the innovation chain, and into the hands of farmers and producers. Since the Smart Farm is connected to a post-secondary institution, it has the space and flexibility to incorporate projects, activities and initiatives into day-to-day farming operations.

The ability to develop, validate, and test products using technology and applied research in real agriculture settings continues to bring new projects to OCCI. The Smart Farm creates a place for producers, industry partners, students and faculty to look at the opportunities and challenges facing the agriculture industry and investigate solutions to evolve agriculture practices.