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AgTech Talks - Webinar Series

AGTECH Talks is a free webinar series hosted by Olds College of Agriculture & Technology to disseminate and share practical and relevant information with the agriculture sector to help make informed decisions about new technologies and practices.

New technologies for agriculture require in-field testing and validation in an operating farm environment to move through the innovation chain, and into the hands of farmers and producers. Olds College has the ability to test products and technology on the Smart Farm, and to educate and communicate the learnings and applications to producers, industry and students to help them maximize technology and data.

Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) focuses on practical, industry-driven applied research and is able to provide independent, unbiased information for technology innovators, agricultural producers, agronomists, and other industry stakeholders on the functionality and value of agriculture technologies, processes, and practices.

The Olds College Smart Farm provides a unique means of gaining boots-on-the-ground testing and learnings for technologies and practices in real agriculture settings — which includes disseminating results of these products and services to producers and industry stakeholders.

Olds College is focused on transforming agriculture for a better world. This happens by educating students, performing research, testing products and services, and communicating the benefits of those products and services in the marketplace through communications and events, such as our annual educational expo AgSmart and this webinar series.

Free Webinar Series

The AGTECH Talks webinar series will be hosted by researchers, faculty and industry experts to share high-impact knowledge and information generated from agriculture research at the College and externally. This research involves developing, integrating, optimizing, validating and demonstrating innovative agricultural technologies, processes and practices to generate value for the agriculture industry.

Each webinar will include a live question and answer period so attendees can get the information that matters most to them. As well, participants that sign up for the free webinars will receive a recording of the session in case they were unable to attend or wanted to watch it again. If you missed the webinar, please request a recording.

Previous Webinars

Missed the webinar? Request a recording

  • Farming is an inherently risky business where small fluctuations in price or yield can have a big impact on profitability. As a result, risk management is extremely important to mitigate unfavorable outcomes. Stephanie Rempe has been building a farm risk-management model that provides producers with optimal hedging strategies to increase farm profitability while correspondingly limiting their downside risk. During her presentation, she will demonstrate her model and speak about its farm-level applications.

    Presented by: Stephanie Rempe

    Stephanie Rempe is a recipient of the Mitacs Accelerate Grant. The Mitacs Accelerate Grant is a year-long paid internship where the recipient works with both an academic institution (Olds College of Agriculture & Technology) and an industry partner (Algo-Rythmn Corp.) on a joint research project. Stephanie graduated from Brown University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and is currently working towards her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

  • Dr. Gellatly will discuss Olds College's applied research on a novel technique that involves "massaging" newborn calves. She will explain how cow-calf producers can apply this technique, and outline the potential benefits, including improved animals' immune responses and behaviour towards humans, which could ultimately lead to increased herd productivity.

    Presented by: Dr. Désirée Gellatly

    Dr. Gellatly is a Research Scientist for the Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College, and directs and supports the scientific activities of all livestock research projects conducted by the TACLP. She is responsible for the financial and authoritative security of livestock research projects as well as preparation of research proposals/contracts and submissions, project budgeting, development and implementation of research trials, supervision of research staff, and client communications. Dr. Gellatly completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Animal Science at São Paulo State University in Brazil with a focus on the assessment of cattle temperament and its relationship with feeding behaviour, feed efficiency, growth, and reproductive performance. She also carries two post-doctorates from Agriculture and Agri-Food of Canada managing projects related to beef cattle and sheep behaviour and welfare.

  • Rotational grazing is an operational approach proven to increase the nutritive value of forages and enhance soil health. Since a rotational grazing system requires intensive management, technologies allowing the optimization of pasture management activities can potentially increase the adoption of rotational grazing by producers. This webinar will explore novel two technologies that can assist in the accurate estimation of available pasture biomass in rotationally grazed pastures: satellite imaging and the rising plate meter.

    Presented by: Laio Silva Sobrinho
    Research Associate, Technology Access Center for Livestock Production (TACLP), Olds College of Agriculture & Technology

  • Cost or “return on investment” is usually the main consideration before a new technology or practice is considered for on-farm adoption. How should this “value” be assessed? What factors should be considered? This webinar will review some case studies on the assessment of the “value” for technologies like autonomous equipment and in-bin grain sensors.

    Presented by: Joy Agnew
    Associate Vice-President, Applied Research, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology

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