Limitless 2017

2017 - 2018

LIMITLESS A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

How we are using plant growth regulators to reduce lodging p. 22

Lakeland College’s Smart Dairy

Dreamforest p. 19

p.28

Superclusters p.33

Innovation At

Lakeland p. 35

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

1

All colleges say they are educating the leaders of tomorrow.

At Lakeland, you lead today.

That’s what makes a Lakeland College education different.

• Environmental sciences students further their skills with work in the Student – Environmental Consulting Office.

• Agricultural sciences students learn to run a profitable agribusiness on the Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland.

• University transfer students in the bachelor of education program organize math fairs for elementary students.

• Esthetician students run the campus spa.

• Early learning and child care students create and run their own daycare program for children.

• Working in our Energy Centre, heavy oil power engineering students generate heat and light for the Lloydminster campus.

2

LIMITLESS

Take the lead at Lakeland.

Table of Contents 5

College Research is Making a Difference

6

Message from the President

7 What is Innovation?- Message from the Director of Applied Research The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines innovation as “the introduction of something new” or “a new idea, method, or device.”

10

12 Student-Managed Farm Agricultural Science student control the operations at the Student-Managed Farm- Powered by New Holland (SMF). These two pages highlight the Crops and Livestock SMF research teams.

7 2017 Applied Research Team 8 Policing Pasture Thieves and Killers Herbicide application is commonplace when a weed problem crops up. But have you ever thought of... fertilizer application to help fight the battle?

14 Soybean Production in Central Alberta: Can it work?

15 UAV Future Plans 16 Mentors Among Us: Lakeland Instructors Kelly Mazerolle and Melissa Rothwell 17

ECARIN: Year One Snapshot

18 The Regional Business Accelerator, Partnering to Support Local Youth Entrepreneurs 9

Regional Variety Trials

10 Lessons from Lakeland College's 2017 Wetland Assessment

19 Dreamforest: Where Great Ideas Come to Life!

Lloydminster is joining the world-wide trend of providing urban co-working spaces. The Dreamforest is a space where you can sit down, enjoy a coffee, network with talented individuals to grow your business idea, or just work quietly on your own laptop.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

3

22 20 Alberta Solar Calculator To help municipalities, businesses and homeowners 21

Meet Our 2017 Summer Students

22 Keep Crops Standing Lakeland College, the University of Alberta, and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry team up to explore plant grown regulator solutions that have worked well against crop lodging in Europe.

4

LIMITLESS

25

All Things Cereal Crop Tour

26 Walking Together: First Nations Principles for Ethical Research 28 Dairy Learning Centre 30 Smarter Agriculture is a Global Imperative The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated that Earth will have 9.6 billion people by 2050, and that we will need to increase food production on Earth by 70% to feed everyone properly.

33

Smart Agri-Food Supercluster

34

4-H Field Trip: Jerusalem Artichoke Digging Day

35

Portraits of Innovation

Volume 6

2017–2018

LIMITLESS

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

Publication Information Limitless is published by Lakeland College Applied Research. This is the 6th volume. Throughout the magazine, you will find faces of the researchers and support staff of this growing department.

This magazine showcases applied research and innovation activities across the college and both campuses. Special thanks to all Lakeland College employees and partners who contributed information and photographs to this publication.

College Research is making a difference

PROJECT MANAGER Veronica Peterson Advisor Diane Harms CONTRIBUTORS Rob Baron, Christa Bedwin, Paytten Fankhanel, Rhiannon Greening, Diane Harms, Ben Harrison, Taylor Hermiston, Eric Healey, David Jones, Laurel Perrott, Glenys Reeves-Gibbs, Krista Robson, Katie Ryan, Colleen Symes, Noé Waelchli

Research saves money and lives. Science, innovation, and social study have helped Canadians to live better than generations before us. However, research can be expensive. While it is true that industry does contribute some resources to research, including cash, products, and services, the bulk of research in Canada is still paid for by government agencies. These bodies are charged with reading thousands of proposals each year from researchers who would like funding, and doling out the available money as best they can.

Lakeland College has received large grants from three granting agencies. Each of the organizations listed here has interesting stories worth reading (or watching) on their websites about the research they have funded in Canada.

EDITOR Christa Bedwin DESIGN Veronica Peterson

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca) is focused on enabling discovery research, and on building researcher-industry partnerships. They provide grants to researchers and small enterprises, to help them grow their companies and expand their innovations. NSERC’s vision is to “make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians.”

Vermilion Campus 5707 College Drive Vermilion AB T9X 1K5 Lloydminster Campus 2602 - 59 Avenue Lloydminster AB T9V 3N7

Almost $27 million dollars came to Alberta colleges from NSERC from 2011–2016!

www.lakelandcollege.ca/applied-research

Lakeland gratefully acknowledges NSERC support in the production of this knowledge and technology transfer publication through our College and Community Innovation Program grants.

Western Economic Diversification Canada (www.wd-deo.gc.ca), with its headquarters in Edmonton, was established in 1988 to promote the development and diversification of the economy of Western Canada. Their aim is to promote economic growth and create jobs and industry here.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (www.innovation.ca) is intended to support large infrastructure projects to help existing research and technology programs, and help them respond to important industry sector needs.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

5

MESSAGEFROM FROM MESSAGE THEPRESIDENT PRESIDENT THE Day and day out, Lakeland work hard positively influence Day in in and day out, wewe at at Lakeland work hard to to positively influence lives our students and prepare them a successful future. thethe lives of of our students and prepare them forfor a successful future.

But that’s just one many roles play a post-secondary But that’s just one of of many roles wewe play as as a post-secondary institution. institution. you’ll see throughout this publication, we’re actively involved AsAs you’ll see throughout this publication, we’re actively involved in in applied research, serving as a test-bed for innovations in applied research, serving as a test-bed for innovations in agriculture, energy, and environmental sciences.

And our efforts agriculture, energy, and environmental sciences.

And our efforts to to help develop a skilled workforce through full-time and part-time help develop a skilled workforce through full-time and part-time programs and courses well corporate training vital programs and courses as as well as as corporate training areare vital in in helping keep our economy running and our communities strong. helping keep our economy running and our communities strong.

Lakeland also serves a hub community and regional activities.

Lakeland also serves as as a hub forfor community and regional activities.

Specialized facilities such theatres, recreation centres, Specialized facilities such as as theatres, recreation centres, a a swimming pool and Equine Centre frequently used swimming pool and Equine Centre areare frequently used byby thethe public. public.

Earlier this year worked with Emsi determine economic Earlier this year wewe worked with Emsi to to determine thethe economic impact of Lakeland on our service region.

Emsi staff examined data impact of Lakeland on our service region. Emsi staff examined data from our 2015-16 academic year and found that Lakeland, our from our 2015-16 academic year and found that Lakeland, our students and our alumni added $120 million local economy. students and our alumni added $120 million to to thethe local economy.

That’s equivalent to supporting 2,524 jobs in the Lakeland Service That’s equivalent to supporting 2,524 jobs in the Lakeland Service Area.

Area.

Lakeland’s payroll plus day-to-day operational spending added Lakeland’s payroll plus day-to-day operational spending added $51.6 million in income to the local economy.

In addition, $51.6 million in income to the local economy. In addition, thethe impact student spending during year generated $5.1 million impact of of student spending during thethe year generated $5.1 million new income. in in new income.

Over years, students have studied Lakeland and entered Over thethe years, students have studied at at Lakeland and entered or or re-entered workforce with newly-acquired skills.

Today, re-entered thethe workforce with newly-acquired skills.

Today, thousands these former students employed Lakeland thousands of of these former students areare employed in in thethe Lakeland Service Area.

The accumulated contribution of former students Service Area. The accumulated contribution of former students currently employed regional workforce amounted $63.3 currently employed in in thethe regional workforce amounted to to $63.3 million added income. million in in added income.

Forevery every$1 $1spent... spent...

For

$6.10 $6.10

is returned is returned in in added provincial added provincial income and income and savings society savings forfor society

$4.70 $4.70

is returned is returned in in lifetime income lifetime income students forfor students

$2.40 $2.40

is returned is returned in in added taxes and added taxes and public sector public sector savings savings forfor taxpayers taxpayers

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

$120million millionadded addedtoto $120 localeconomy economyby byLakeland Lakeland local

The study also examined return investment various The study also examined thethe return onon investment forfor various stakeholders. you can see chart this page, each dollar stakeholders.

AsAs you can see byby thethe chart onon this page, each dollar invested produced higher gains for students, society and taxpayers. invested produced higher gains for students, society and taxpayers.

The results make sense.

After people with education tend The results make sense.

After all,all, people with anan education tend to to be fully employed and benefit from higher earnings.

They help be fully employed and benefit from higher earnings. They help to to expand base and reduce burden provincial and expand thethe taxtax base and reduce thethe taxtax burden onon provincial and local taxpayers.

With increased education there also reduced local taxpayers.

With increased education there areare also reduced social costs including savings associated with improved health, social costs including savings associated with improved health, reduced crime, and fewer welfare and unemployment claims.

And reduced crime, and fewer welfare and unemployment claims. And that’s good news that’s good news forfor allall of of us.us.

$120M $120M

learn more about economic impact Lakeland, please visit ToTo learn more about thethe economic impact of of Lakeland, please visit lakelandcollege.ca lakelandcollege.ca Alice Wainwright-Stewart Alice Wainwright-Stewart President and CEO President and CEO Lakeland College Lakeland College

6

LIMITLESS

$63.3M Alumni impact $63.3M Alumni impact $51.6M Lakeland operations $51.6M Lakeland operations

$5.1M Student spending $5.1M Student spending

What is Innovation?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines innovation as “the introduction of something new” or “a new idea, method, or device.” At Lakeland College, we are constantly trying new things, learning, revising, and ultimately making that something new part of our normal operations. The Government of Alberta has challenged Lakeland to promote innovation by conducting Applied Research activities that are relevant to institutional program areas, complement teaching and learning, and advance innovation-based rural community economic development.

As a lead partner for East Central Alberta’s Regional Innovation Network, Lakeland College works closely with Alberta Innovates and the Regional Business Accelerator to help industry partners identify new opportunities and find solutions to current challenges. Have a look at page 17 to read more about what our RIN has accomplished.

innovators within our organization.

In this edition of this institutional magazine, we are celebrating a small fraction of these champions for excellence, change, and innovation.

Not all innovations are “giant leaps for mankind” but collectively they help us all be better, do better, and achieve what could previously only be imagined.

Lakeland College has a long history of innovation. We are a community of passionate ideators, change-makers, and leaders. Applied Research is just one small part of the constellation of

Diane Harms Director, Applied Research Lakeland College

2017 Applied Research Team Lakeland’s Applied Research department would not be able to accomplish all that we do without our amazing staff. Applied Research may be a small department, but we are mighty. It is often an “all hands-on-deck” effort. Whether it be setting up a tent for a crop tour, or emergence counting, everyone is willing to step up to the plate and help each other out.

Year after year summer employees are thrown into research projects and hit the ground running. Summer is a time of much accomplishment in Applied Research and this year has been no exception.

Photo: Top row: Andrea Kastendieck, Rob Baron, Noe Waelchli, Dustin Babij, Veronica Peterson, Leah MacDonald, Ryan Kwasnicia. Bottom row: Laurel Perrott, Diane Harms, April Ockerman.

Missing: Joseph Aidoo and Geoff Brown- Associate Dean, Agricultural Sciences. Geoff has been (and is still) an important mentor and supporter of research activities.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

7

Horse Killer

For Squatting and pasture theft

Policing Pasture Thieves and Killers An integrated approach to toadflax and hoary alyssum weeds in pasture land Herbicide application is commonplace when a weed problem crops up. But have you ever thought of... fertilizer application to help the battle? It may seem counterintuitive, but for weeds that thrive in poor soils, one way to help crops in their efforts to outcompete weeds is to give them a boost in nutrients.

At first glance, yellow toadflax appears to be a harmless yellow flower found in roadsides and pastures. In reality, it is a noxious and aggressive perennial weed that decreases the yield and quality of perennial forage stands – animals don’t eat it and it outcompetes desirable species. It is extremely difficult to control, and herbicide options are limited. Once toadflax is present in a field, it can easily spread and take over entire quarter sections, drastically decreasing the available grazing pasture yield. Producers with yellow toadflax can put fewer animals on weedy land, or put them there for shorter time periods. While pretty to the casual observer, this weed is a very expensive one from a rancher or farmer’s point of view.

Hoary alyssum is a new invader to Alberta. This prohibited noxious weed has recently been found in sandy areas of Wainwright and Lamont counties. Hoary alyssum is poisonous to horses and thrives in marginal conditions. There are few, if any, registered herbicides that truly work against hoary alyssum in Alberta.

Starting in April 2017, researcher Laurel Perrott, from Lakeland College, along with Tanis Ponath (MD of Wainwright) and

8

LIMITLESS

Lindsay Benbow (Lamont County) are trying an integrated approach involving herbicide application and nitrogen fertilization in perennial forage systems to claim back pastures stolen by yellow toadflax and hoary alyssum. This is Lakeland College’s very first successful stand-alone funding application for small plot research – an important stepping stone on the way to becoming an established research body in western Canada. Funding was provided by Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF), a private not-for-profit company owned by organizations in Alberta’s crop industry. Government partners, the MD of Wainwright and Lamont County, and industry partners, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroScience, and BASF, have provided in-kind and financial support for the project.

Tanis Ponath is a former research summer student and alumni, (Environmental Conservation & Reclamation, 2012). She and Benbow played an integral role in the project by identifying suitable trial sites and liaising with landowners to during the growing season.

“There are currently no registered herbicides for hoary alyssum.

Land owners need registered options to control this weed, as is required with its prohibited noxious designation in the Weed Control Act,” says Ponath.

Fertilization has been known to assist with controlling other pasture weeds, and may be useful, along with herbicides, to

The posse

rEGIONAL vARIETY tRIALS Lakeland College Crop Research Team Work with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Lakeland College joined forces with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AAF) to test the performance of the newest varieties of Alberta’s major crops. By testing different varieties of cereals, oilseeds, and pulses throughout different regions and conditions, AAF works to determine which varieties grow best, where, and under what conditions, to help farmers to choose optimal seeds. They publish the results each year.

From left to right: Lindsay Benbow,

Tanis Ponath, and Laurel Perrott

chase these toadflax and hoary alyssum characters down. As Perrott explains: “Nitrogen fertilization of pasture has been shown to increase pasture competitiveness and therefore help to control Canada thistle, as noted in past research done in Alberta. We are interested in whether nitrogen fertilizer can also improve the herbicide control of toadflax and hoary alyssum by making pastures more competitive.”

The Chase

Lakeland College is one test location of many across the province. According to researcher Laurel Perrott, it was a good growing season in Vermillion this year with ample precipitation, so the trials will likely show excellent results in terms of differences between the varieties. By contrast, 2015 was a very dry growing season, and so it would have been more difficult to compare the performance of the different varieties. The results of these trials are always a product of varietal differences and environmental interactions.

Crops that AAF studied in 2017 include Canada Western Red Spring wheat, Canada Prairie Spring Red wheat, durum wheat and Canada Western Special Purpose wheat varieties, feed and malt barley, feed and milling oats, triticale, flax, faba beans, and green and yellow field peas.

On August 2, about fifty farmers and industry members attended a field day to see the different small-plot cereal and flax variety trials and to hear talks from Laurel Perrott of Lakeland, Dr. Linda Hall from the U of A, and Trent Whiting of SeCan.

In six selected fields from Wainwright to Lamont County where hoary alyssum and yellow toadflax have taken over, researchers treated plots with 0 or 100 kg/ha nitrogen in early spring. This was followed later in the season by the application of five registered pasture herbicides to determine the most effective products on both toadflax and hoary alyssum.

“We are also looking at the most appropriate timing of current pasture herbicides to see if we can increase the damage done to yellow toadflax with the current herbicides that are available,” says Perrott.

Perrott, Ponath, and Benbow hope to uncover the best combination of methods to tame these weeds so that producers can claim back the high-production forage areas in their pasture. Data from the project will be used to assist companies in new herbicide product registrations. Preliminary data shows promising results, with multiple herbicide options for controlling the horrible hoary alyssum. Toadflax data is still being collected and results are forthcoming.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

9

Lessons from Lakeland College's

2017 Wetland Assessment For decades, landowners and developers in Alberta and elsewhere thought that wetlands were a nuisance. Ponds and marshes have been lost due to drainage, land-use change and agricultural activities. The Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development estimates that Alberta’s wetlands have been reduced by two thirds in settled areas and continue to be reduced each year.

Yes, natural wetlands breed mosquitos and can be challenging to incorporate into intensive land use systems, but they do provide benefits for humans, wildlife, water resource management, and ecosystem function. Contrary to popular belief, healthy wetlands provide many agricultural services such as providing clean water sources for livestock, mitigating offsite impacts of pesticides and fertilizers, and reducing surface salinity that affects crop production.

Benefits of Wetlands filter nutrients and improve water quality support high biological diversity mitigate impact and severity of drought moderate water flows and reduce flood risk improves ground water recharge provide habitat for many beneficial species provide numerous recreational opportunities

10

LIMITLESS

Notwithstanding the increased awareness of wetland value in Alberta, wetlands are still considered a nuisance or an inconvenient obstacle when conducting field operations leading to the continued loss of wetlands in Alberta.

Lakeland College’s Wetland Assessment In 2016–2017, Thomas McAleer and Noé Waelchli surveyed and assessed Lakeland College’s wetland assets. A total of 103 wetlands were identified and assessed on Lakeland College property. The wetlands varied from seasonal marshes to permanent open bodies of water . The report concluded that wetlands on Lakeland College property vary from healthy to healthy with problems in their current state, and several are heavily impacted by cattle and cropping activity. A few recent management changes have shown that degraded wetlands are extremely responsive to improved management, such that preserving and enhancing the college’s wetlands is possible.

Bonaparte Gulls (Larus philadelphia) Two of Lakeland College’s wetlands are nesting homes for Bonaparte Gulls, which are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty in North America.

If you are blessed with Bonaparte Gulls, it is essential to avoid spraying or haying near those wetlands at least from May to mid-July. If you do approach those wetlands while the birds are home, they may dive-bomb you. Lift your hand above your head or hold an object aloft so that they dive at that instead of at your head. After all, they just want to keep their babies safe.

Detecting wetlands Conclusion and Recommendations

1 2

Wetland areas that have been cropped through during dry periods generally show poor plant establishment and low yields.

Cattle activity in and around wetlands damages riparian functions. Compacted soil limits water infiltration, and limits growth of water purifying plants. Minimizing direct wetland use by livestock through strategic placement of minerals or salt licks away from the wetland or providing a remote watering source can reduce livestock impacts.

3

Minimizing disturbance (tillage and grazing) around wetlands help to promote the establishment of diverse wetland vegetation. Preserving wetland vegetation aids in capturing lost nutrients, filtering out pesticide residues, trapping sediment and reducing soil erosion risk.

The best strategy to maintain and promote wetland function is to maintain and promote healthy vegetation in a buffer zone around wetlands in a crop field or pasture land. To reap the full benefits of college wetlands, an integrated management strategy is being developed that will consider changes in current management practices to maintain and improve wetland health on Lakeland College lands. If you would like to see the full text and data of the survey, email appliedresearch@lakelandcollege.ca.

In the 2017 wetlands report, Waelchli notes that wetland areas are not always obvious.

In some cases, while the typical wetland vegetation may not always be visible, digging down a little may reveal orange or red earth, which is due to iron oxidizing in perpetually wet soils. Why does this matter? Waelchli explains: “This plays a part in cropping a field, as to the average farmer it would look like an area you could crop through, though it may hold some unwelcome surprises if it is. Most introduced species thrive in wetter areas and disturbed soils, and if a farmer crops through one of these ‘ephemeral’ wetlands they may create the perfect area for introduced species to flourish; something no farmer wants as these species tend to spread quickly and soak up nutrients their crop needs.

To help prevent this, we have mapped out college lands to identify all wetland sites and are sharing information with Student-Managed Farm (SMF) representatives, so they can flag these potential “hotspots” for introduced species."

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

11

2017-2018

Student-Managed Farm Crops research team Lakeland College's Student-Managed Farm (SMF) concept started with our crop technology students. The team makes decisions about what to grow and where, fertilizer and herbicide applications and when to sell their crop. Today's StudentManaged Farm – Powered by New Holland is especially relevant to the crops team as they are able to work with the latest equipment technology as they manage 2,100 acres of crop land.

The crops team actually has several teams with units responsible for production, marketing, communications and finance. Weekly team meetings are part of the process as the whole team discusses strategies and actions.

The Student-Managed Farm Crop Research Team engages directly with college crop research activities and has the opportunity to develop, design and complete projects of interest. In Fall 2017, the Crops SMF Research Team conducted a small trial comparing yield differences of swathing canola at 80% color change with straight-cut harvesting canola. Six replications of swath versus straight-cut will be evaluated.

Photo: Ty Elliott, Gage Fouillard, Brent Stach, Bjorn Bill Bliek, Ted Linklater and Cody Gomke

12

LIMITLESS

2017-2018

Student-Managed Farm Livestock Research Team This is the second year for the Student-Managed Farm Livestock Research Team. The team includes 15 students from a variety of mostly agricultural backgrounds and advisor Darrell Hickman.

This year we have increased our herd to 90 breeding females, 4 of which we are taking to Farm Fair in Edmonton. The herd is run as an extensive operation to relate more to current beef production. Not only do we manage a commercial herd, but we must coordinate research projects into our program as well. As a unit, we are establishing valuable industry contacts and working on building a project base to pass onto the next year's SMF team.

DNA Testing We will be DNA testing our 2017 calves this Fall. The main goal is to find the parentage, breed composition and heterosis percentages of the calves. This information will allow a more comprehensive decision to be made with breeding decisions, which will in turn maximize weight gain and therefore profitability.

Understanding this can help us to improve certain traits within our herd and be able to see which of our bulls are performing well, and which are not.

Residual Feed Intake Trials These trials determine which cattle are more feed-efficient and if there is any correlation between feed efficiency and each animal’s genotype. We use GrowSafe Systems to measure their Residual Feed Intake (RFI) and we will be collecting the data accordingly.

Last year, the replacement heifers that were on feed efficiency trials were genotyped and ranked as high, medium, and low with regards to their efficiency. This data was then compared to their predicted feed efficiency as established by genotype testing.

Now that the 2017 calves will take part in the third feed efficiency trial of the Research Unit, the data can be collected to evaluate the economic impact of selecting for the trait of feed efficiency.

This information can be used by beef producers to help increase profitability within their herds.

Photo: Back (L to R): Darrell Hickman, Janine Soderstrom, Keanna Herter, Bailey Hofstra, Jennifer Schuk, Dylan Kerley, Hailey Plohman Front (L to R): Frankie Menzies, Kaylee Duncan, Emily Jeffery, Lacy Wandler, Brittany Scott, Manpreet Chahal, Shania Kropinske, Paytten Fankhanel (missing from photo, Laurie Morasch) A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

13

Soybean production in central aLBERTA: Can it work?

Soybeans are a potentially profitable nitrogen-fixing pulse crop that is crushed for oil and animal feed. Elsewhere in America, soybeans are a major crop. You may have eaten salted edamame beans in a restaurant, which are edible soybeans in their pods harvested early.

Some growers have met with success. Richard Little from Dayland, AB, says “This is our second year growing soybeans.

We have had good growing seasons without early frost, and they have yielded well. They have stood up better than our pea crops.”

Alberta farmers are becoming more aware that their colleagues in warmer climates like Manitoba and the US are excelling with soybean production, and are starting to wonder if production is possible here. Traditional soybean varieties have been a hard sell until now, because Alberta simply does not have the long hot days and extended season needed for traditional varieties to reach maturity before a frost hits.

The Granum Hutterite Colony is betting that the soybean market is going to make it here in Alberta. They have built a soybean crushing plant, and since June 2015, they have been buying soybeans from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, crushing them into meal, and either using that to feed their own chickens and hogs, or selling it.

Worth a try? Many are starting to think so.

Some Alberta farmers are adding up the reasons to try growing soybeans, despite the known risks. They would like to have another broad leaf crop to add to their rotation, and clubroot has been causing trouble with canola crops. Seed companies are coming out with quicker-maturing soybean varieties, and some seed companies have been cheering on soybeans in Alberta for a few years already.

14

LIMITLESS

Is it too risky? Is holding off a while longer a good idea?

Perhaps the time is not quite ripe for farmers to go all-in. Trent Whiting of Secan appreciates the risk that producers face when deciding to grow soybeans in the province. He cautions, “Right now, producers should only plant as many soybean acres as they are willing to lose.”

Lakeland College is on the case.

Lakeland partnered with SeCan and Brett Young to demonstrate nine short-season soybean varieties in 2017.

Lakeland researcher Laurel Perrott says: “The value of having a research team testing new crop species and practices is that we can make the mistakes during the early days on a small scale, so that growers don’t have to make them on a large scale.”

soybean production in Alberta, seed companies continue to progress and release varieties with shorter maturities. Farmer interest is growing, and there has been some on-farm success.

Lakeland’s crop research team will continue working with soybean varieties in 2018 to give producers a first-hand look at the performance of the newest varieties.

On July 24, over fifty farmers attended to hear guest speakers Robyne Bowness and Scott Meers from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry), Trent Whiting (SeCan), and Richard Little (local soybean producer) discuss pulse crops. Topics included pulse pathology, insect pests, marketing options, and agronomy.

Attendees also had a chance to tour small-plot research trials testing the performance of green pea, yellow pea, and faba bean varieties.

However, a frost on September 6 damaged all of the immature soybean plants in the demonstration plot, and it was not possible to harvest any soybeans in the 2017 demo.

Soybeans are faced with other roadblocks, such as the lack of an established market akin to the canola, wheat, barley, and oat markets in Alberta. Despite the risks and challenges facing

uav Future plans Looking down from above has many excellent applications, including: • estimating the percentage of crops that have been flattened (“lodged”) during a weather event

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a revolution in smart agricultural technology that Lakeland College has been able to use for our own endeavours and for community businesses.

• gravel pile volume assessment

Lakeland College is working with Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, (SAIT), other post-secondary schools in Alberta, and industry partners to explore the utility of unmanned systems in agriculture, environmental science, energy and other applications.

• stream bank and watershed health assessments

This builds on our existing work using unmanned aerial vehicles

• pinpointing wetlands in our pasturelands and crop fields •

emergence counts

•

crop insurance assessments

systems for crop scouting and wetland surveying. The research team completed a precursory examination of the use of UAVs in assessing gravel pile volume for Alberta Transportation and is continuing to discuss the use of UAVs and remote sensing methodologies with other agriculture and environmental science partners.

Integrating smart agriculture and ICT tools into practical projects relevant for producers and supported by industry is a growing priority for our agriculture research.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College 15

Mentors Among Us: Lakeland College has two instructors who are teaming up to lead their field: Kelly Mazerolle (left), early learning and child care (ELCC), and Melissa Rothwell (right), child and youth care (CYC). They’ve written a new textbook and several articles, and have a variety of speaking and workshop engagements both locally and internationally.

In 2018, Canadian Scholars Press will publish their new textbook, The Mentors Among Us: Cases in the Human Services in English. A French version is also in the works. Designed for introductory courses in human services faculties, it features eleven candid stories from front-line workers in the human services field across Canada. The text is supported by a companion website and resource material.

Rothwell says that having real-life content from the field is good for students. It makes the lessons meaningful, and helps students to become more connected to the realities of the profession.

Mazerolle says: “We’ve been meeting with people in industry – both ELCC and CYC – and we ask them to tell us about their best day at work, and then their worst day at work, and how they solved their worst-day problem.”

Of course, names, locations, and other details are changed to protect confidentiality, but the real-life scenarios provide a solid grounding for important discussions in the social sciences.

“In the textbook, students... read a story that actually happened

16

LIMITLESS

in the field and have a number of solutions to choose from.

Then, the textbook will tell them what the worker did and how the situation actually unfolded.”

Mazerolle recently published an article in Interaction magazine produced by the Canadian Child Care Federation, entitled “Child Care Centres on the Military Base – Behind the Force.”

Together , the instructors wrote an article called “Tips, Tricks, and Transitioning: A Practical Guide to Furthering Your Education ” that was published in Young Children by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (North America).

Rothwell and Mazerolle traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, last May to present on infant and toddler mental health at the World Forum on Early Care and Education.

Rothwell says that people are often not aware of the importance of attachment and the mental health issues that can arise in infants and toddlers. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and environmental factors are part of the picture, too. She says: “We’re looking (for) recognition and prevention because the sooner more people are aware of children’s mental health issues, the better. If they don’t get the love and attention they need, then that could create a disorganized pattern of attachment.”

Lakeland is fortunate to have these two powerful and compassionate thought leaders on staff to help train the people who will continue to make the prairies the best possible place to live for everyone.

ECARIN

Year One Snaphot

The East Central Regional Innovation Network (ECARIN) Regional Innovation Network (RIN) allows clients to access services and support from agencies throughout Alberta.

RINS are made up of like-minded public organizations passionate about helping small technology and knowledgebased businesses innovate and grow.

The East Central Regional Innovation Network is an Alberta Innovates initiative championed by Lakeland College and the Regional Business Accelerator.

Cold Lake

Youth: Community Futures and Regional Business Accelerator programs Design Heroes, and Biz Kids •

93 youth participants

•

41 student and youth jobs

• Vermilion Chamber of Commerce Junior Entrepreneur of 2016 winner Best Business Practices- NRC-IRAP sponsored

Lloydminster

Vegreville

Programs

Wainwright

• Best Business Practices supports manufacturing and fabrication businesses build efficient business practices • LEAN methodology (eligible businesses received an assessment, on-site coaching to implement a new business practice, and follow-up visits after two and four months)

Quick Facts

Research & Innovation

•

13 RIN stakeholder agencies

•

79 companies entered the Innovation Funnel

• 23 companies have received support from Lakeland College

• 36 technology/innovation/knowledge-based businesses participated in the Innovation Funnel, through activities, mentorship, referals, coaching, research projects, special programs, partnerships, and best-business-practice training • 35 projects with regional small-medium enterprises (SMEs)

Why? 1. Help technology/innovation/knowledge-based businesses engage and navigate the Alberta commercialization system

Linking with the Alberta Innovation Network •

8 RINs throughout Alberta

• ECARIN hosted 47 Alberta Innovation Network leaders in Lloydminster and Vermilion in October 2016 • The participants toured innovative facilities at Lakeland College and innovative Small Businesses in Vermilion and Lloydminster • RBA offered “coaching out of the box” training to all provincial Technology Development Advisors

2. Build awareness and collaboration among regional stakeholders of support and services available for technology/innovation/knowledge-based businesses 3. Support growth in revenues, jobs, and access to international markets A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

17

Photo taken at the Vermilion and Lloydminster 2017 BizKids community barbeque, day market and wrap-up dinner.

The Regional Business Accelerator, Partnering to Support Local Youth Entrepreneurs This year has been another year of growth for the Regional Business Accelerator (RBA). We had the opportunity to expand our services to include a physical start up space, though this meant moving away from Lakeland College, a place that felt like home. The support that Lakeland continues to offer the RBA helps us to continue to mentor and assist entrepreneurs in our region. We thoroughly appreciated that Lakeland College allowed us to share space with them over the past two years.

Numerous program opportunities happened in 2017 and we are excited about what the future holds. One of our greatest accomplishments has been to support youth entrepreneurship in partnership with Community Futures Lloydminster and Lakeland College. Assisting young entrepreneurs to launch their summer enterprises was an exciting venture. We hope to be able to continue this partnership, which promotes entrepreneurial thinking with youth in our region.

Students between the ages of 12 and 15 from Lakeland and Lloydminster had the opportunity to participate in a twelveweek program to learn about starting and operating their own business. Students are required to complete an application and interview process prior to starting the program in June.

This year, 49 bright young applicants were approved for the program. Each was required to complete three workshops and a short pitch requesting up to $100 in seed capital for their start up. Each of them ran their chosen business for the months of July and August.

Each August the program wraps up with a community barbeque and day market where the students have an

18

LIMITLESS

opportunity to set up and showcase their products and services. Families are invited to celebrate the accomplishments of the youth at a wrap-up dinner.

The program was developed by Community Futures Lakeland and has been delivered to students in the Bonnyville and Cold Lake area for 15 years. The program expanded to the Lloydminster, Vermilion and Wainwright area thanks to a partnership between Community Futures Lloydminster and Region, The Regional Business Accelerator, and Wainwright Economic Development.

This program goes far beyond teaching students about running their own business; students walk away with presentation, networking, and leadership skills, which they will be able to use no matter what career they choose.

The Biz Kids Program would not be possible without the support of our local business communities. Each of the students is matched with a mentor whose role is to guide and support them throughout the summer. Businesses can also support the program through in-kind or cash donations that are re-invested into the program year after year. “It is fantastic to see the support we have received for the program over the years. It takes all of us working together to ensure that we continue to develop and promote a new generation of entrepreneurs that will grow our communities and position us to remain competitive in the global marketplace.� states Phyllis Maki, General Manager of Community Futures Lloydminster & Region.

Dreamforest Co-working space for entrepreneurs in Lloydminster

The Dreamforest will receive $250,000 over the next two years from the Alberta Entrepreneurship Incubator (AEI) Program to increase entrepreneurial capacity in Lloydminster. Collaborators in the community include: • The East Central Alberta Regional Innovation Network (ECARIN) • The Regional Business Accelerator (RBA) • The AB Ministry of Economic Development and Trade

Lloydminster is joining the world-wide trend of providing urban co-working spaces. The Dreamforest is a space where you can sit down and enjoy a coffee, network with other talented individuals to formulate and grow your business idea, or just work quietly on your own laptop.

The Dreamforest provides an opportunity to work on launching a business in a shared space with common resources. The arrangement is flexible and provides users with the chance to connect with other like-minded people in various fields. It connects entrepreneurs with community, capital, and workspace to enhance their skills and bring their ideas to life.

•

Alberta Innovates

•

The City of Lloydminster

•

Lakeland College

Entrepreneurs can be connected to the second stream of AEI funding through the Dreamforest and the Entrepreneur in Residence. This is a suite of funding choices designed to provide support for business growth that has not previously been available in Alberta’s innovation system.

Programs!

Coworking spaces provide professionals with education as well as collaboration. Programs offered at the Dreamforest so far include: •

Soup’r Lunch and Learns

•

Entrepreneurship 101

•

TedTalk Thursdays

•

Mindful Monday Meditation

•

Co-Storming

Membership: Dreamforest memberships are available, including monthly, yearly, and corporate. Drop in rates are available on-site. Bring this article in to the Dreamforest for a free first day’s trial.

Students: The Dreamforest offers FREE memberships to students, available when you drop in with your student ID. Stop by and check out the Dreamforest space. After all, it is “Where Great Ideas Come to Life!”

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

19

Alberta solar calculator To help municipalities, businesses and homeowners decide if “going solar” is worth it, the Solar-Friendly Municipalities toolkit was developed by a partnership of the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, the Pembina Institute, and the Solar Energy Society of Alberta, thanks in part to funding provided by the Government of Alberta.

As part of Lakeland College’s Applied Research into integrated renewable systems, researchers designed a solar cost calculator in 2016, and we reported about it on page 12 of last year’s Limitless magazine. Visit http://www. lakelandcollege.ca/applied-research/ files/PDF/Limitless_2016-_Web_ Version.pdf to view the report.

In 2017, Lakeland partnered with the Pembina Institute and the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre to turn the original Excel-based solar cost calculator into an easier-to-use web application. You can try it out yourself at the Municipal Climate Change Action

20

LIMITLESS

Centre web page at http://mccac.ca/ solar-calculator#pv.

The calculator includes many of the factors that project planners will need to consider with any new solar microgeneration project, starting with the facility’s projected energy use, the variable costs associated with the purchase, transmission and distribution of electricity, initial project costs, inflation escalators, incentives and other economic indicators. The tool estimates yearly accumulated cash flow with and without a solar photovoltaic system and compares the total net present value of each option over a user defined analysis period.

The solar cost calculator is just one part of a toolkit designed to help municipalities across Alberta incorporate solar technologies for the benefits of their residents, businesses, and organizations. See http://www. mccac.ca/news/launch-solar-friendlymunicipalities-toolkit

The toolkit provides municipalities with information and tools about how to make grid-tied solar photovoltaic energy generation a reality in their communities, and includes: • Alberta-specific technical information on solar photovoltaic generators • Best practice recommendations for planners and officials on permitting, taxes, and access for solar PV projects • Community engagement and municipal leadership strategies with examples from Alberta, Canada, and around the world • The solar cost calculator to help municipalities evaluate the economics and performance of proposed grid-connected solar PV projects when compared to purchasing electricity from the grid in Alberta

Meet our 2017

Summer Students

Both old and new staff help to make our research program a success. Meet some of the employees who made a difference this summer.

About you hometown: Dewberry, AB School: Athabasca University, Bachelor of Management

April Ockerman Research Assistant, Crops

Hobbies: Training cattle and hosting clinics for 4-H beef members, quadding, cooking, and growing my tower garden.

hometown: Mannville, AB School: Lakeland College, Crop Technology

Dustin Babij

Hobbies: I enjoy camping, fishing, and maintaining my truck.

Favourite part of Biggest challenge the job or favourite this summer or job you’ve done future plans My favourite part of the job was being able to see and learn about different varieties of barley, oats, and wheat grown in the research plots. I also enjoyed learning about the unique crop research equipment, and meeting all the people involved in crop research.

My future plans are to continue to raise purebred angus bulls, and to grow my tower garden and juice+ businesses.

Harvest. There is nothing better than the feeling you get once harvest is complete.

The biggest challenge was doing thousand kernel weights on all the bags of harvested grain. Working as a team made the load lighter for everyone involved.

My favourite part of working at Lakeland was seeing how the different cereal varieties perform against each other.

Research Assistant, Crops hometown: Vermilion, AB School: MacEwan University, Bachelor of Child and Youth Care

Leah MacDonald

Market Research & Data Assistant

Hobbies: Cooking, camping, and spending time with my family and friends.

hometown: Yorkton, SK School: Lakeland College, Bachelor of Applied Science Environmental Management

Noé Waelchli

Senior Research Technician, Bioeconomy

Hobbies: Soccer, hiking, camping, hanging out with friends, and having heated discussions about real-world scenarios.

I really enjoyed being a part of the Dairy Leaning Centre open house and the crop tours, as well as meeting all the great, young entrepreneurs at the Biz Kids wrap up downtown.

After I finish my 4th year at MacEwan I plan on living in Edmonton and working at the Dream Centre, a centre dedicated to helping women who are struggling with addiction and mental illness.

The staff at Lakeland are extremely helpful and willing to give advice. Having lots of different projects at the college allows for people of many backgrounds to work together.

My biggest challenge was being able to organize my projects to accomplish all the tasks within three months. I had to be efficient. I got field data for wetland inventories and landscape data for land use projects at the same time so I didn’t have to go to the same field twice.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College 21

Laurel Perrott Crop Research Scientist

22

LIMITLESS

Keep Crops Standing The University of Alberta, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and Lakeland College Team Up to Explore Solutions to Reduce Cereal Crop Lodging.

The Problem

standability. The anti-lodging tools that researchers are testing are foliar-applied compounds called plant growth regulators (PGRs).

Excellent high-yield cereal crops can be victims of their own success. Just when the cereal stem is supporting a maturing grain head, high winds or pounding rain can dash high yielding plants to the ground.

The phenomenon is called lodging, and it is a problem in all major cereal crop species across western Canada, especially in high yielding conditions. Grains that lie on the ground are more difficult and time-consuming to harvest, they do not photosynthesize as well, and they can more easily contract fungal diseases, thereby reducing grain quality. Lodging is an expensive yield, quality, and time loss for producers, and management options are limited.

The Solution?

The Lakeland College Crop Research team is part of a collaborative project, led by Dr. Linda Hall at the University of Alberta and in cooperation with Dr. Sheri Strydhorst at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, that is researching a solution to reduce lodging and improve cereal

Although PGR use has been a common practice on European cereal crops for several decades, the PGRs under examination are relatively new to western Canada, and they require testing in Alberta before product registration and on-farm use.

As Laurel Perrott, Lakeland’s lead researcher, says, these products require testing in diverse conditions to confirm positive performance on the prairies.

“It is important to test performance of any new product at multiple locations to determine, for example, if a grower in the Edmonton region can expect the same results as a grower in Vermilion. Similarly, our growing season is very different from European countries such as Ireland and the UK, and we need to confirm efficacy locally in Alberta. Environmental conditions often affect product performance.

Investment into crop inputs on Alberta farms is significant, so it is really important that farmers know where, when, and why the product works, before they invest in it.”

It is necessary to test lodging mitigation methods regionally, because how crops respond to treatments depends on factors in the environment such as the length of the growing season, soil characteristics, rainfall, and temperature extremes.

Perrott adds, “The staging for effective PGR application is extremely precise, and it is quite different from the way growers are accustomed to staging plants for herbicide application.”

She explains that Lakeland provided training for producers for the application of this new technology through hands-on exposure at the 2017 cereal field tour. “We want our growers and students to be prepared with these new techniques before PGRs hit the market in a big way.”

In a project funded by the ACIDF (Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund), researchers worked on three 2017 trial sites (Vermilion, St. Albert, and Barrhead). Industry partners include Syngenta and Engage Agro.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

23

Without PGR: Taller plant stem prone to lodging

With PGR: Shorter plant stem, stronger root

How Does Lodging Happen?

How Do PGRs Help?

Crop plants can lodge in a variety of ways. As wind and precipitation push at plant stems, they can bend too far, fail and break (stem lodging). If the stem stays intact but the plant leans too far, a plant’s roots can become unanchored (root lodging). Both types of lodging cause yield and quality losses.

How PGRs Work

The PGRs

Plant growth regulators prevent or reduce lodging by shortening the plant stem height, so that the plant is stronger and less likely to blow over in high winds and rain. Shortening is achieved through blocking giberellin (GA) production, the plant hormone responsible for, among other functions, cell elongation. The PGRs are applied to the foliage at the beginning of stem elongation for maximum effect, and can help the cereal plant to develop not just a shorter stem, but also a stronger root.

The trial tests two PGRs: chlormequat chloride and trinexepac-ethyl, both GA inhibitors. Recently, chlormequat chloride was registered as Manipulator (Engage Agro) in western Canada for lodging reduction in wheat. Trinexepacethyl is anticipated to be released onto the western Canadian market for cereal lodging reduction in 2018. Currently, there are no PGRs registered for use on barley or oats in western Canada.

The Research Objectives The 2017 work being conducted by the three researchers builds on preliminary findings from the 2016 season. Perrott, Hall, and Strydhorst found that not all varieties within each cereal species responded similarly to PGRs, and that tank-mixing PGR active ingredients resulted in excellent antilodging results. The project objectives for 2017 are to assess PGR product efficacy in wheat, barley, and oats under Alberta lodging and environmental conditions, and to determine how different varieties should be managed with PGR for maximum effectiveness.

Multiple combinations of PGR active ingredients and application rates were also examined to determine the most effective mixture and ratio, if any, for application in wheat, barley and oats.

24

LIMITLESS

Ethephon, formulated as Ethrel, is another anti-lodging PGR that is registered in wheat in western Canada. Ethephon belongs to a different chemical class of PGRs than the GA-inhibiting chlormequat and trinexepac, and the consequences for missing the extremely narrow ethephon application window can spell disaster for crop yield and maturity. In comparison, chlormequat and trinexepac have much higher crop safety if applied outside of the application window, even though they still require correct application timing for maximum anti-lodging efficacy.

The Research Project Preliminary research conducted in Alberta in Vermilion, St. Albert, and Barrhead in 2016 showed that some varieties of wheat, barley, and oats that were tested responded differently to PGR application. That is to say, a farmer

What else can farmers do?

Oftentimes, agricultural methods to reduce lodging such as decreased nitrogen fertilization are counter to agronomic goals such as achieving high yields. Cereal varieties with genetic resistance to lodging are available, but genetic resistance is often not sufficient to reduce or eliminate lodging in difficult environmental conditions. Farmers may be required to grow a variety that lacks the genes for lodging resistance for other reasons, such as end-use market restrictions or because a cultivar lacking genetic lodging resistance has other desirable agronomic characteristics, such as disease resistance, early maturity, or high yield potential.

In cases such as these, producers can use PGRs as an additional tool to help prevent lodging. Giberellins (GA) are plant hormones that regulate cell elongation in the plant. When GAs are about to signal stems to elongate, GA-inhibiting PGRs can act to reduce height by suppressing GA production for a short period, without adverse effects on yield. The Alberta researchers are doing trials to learn about how well two GA-inhibiting PGRs (chlormequat and Trinexepac) work on cereals in Alberta.

To use PGRs with maximum efficacy, farmers need to understand how they affect the plant. Chlormequat and trinexepac reduce stem elongation, and are most effective if they are applied at the beginning of stem elongation. It is essential that producers watch the growth of their crops well to time this application.

growing one wheat variety could not necessarily depend on another wheat variety having similar height and lodging reductions with the same PGR. In 2017, Perrott, Hall, and Strydhorst tested the performance of chlormequat and trinexepac, and rated mixtures of both PGRs on 14 wheat, 6 barley, and 6 oat varieties. Their goal was to determine how different varieties will need to be managed uniquely to optimize the stem-shortening effects.

Perrott reports: “In addition to variety-specific responses, we found that tank-mixing chlormequat and trinexepac together was beneficial about half the time for wheat, barley and oat height and lodging reduction in the 2017 trials in the three locations. The mixture of the two PGRs is giving height and lodging reduction benefits that are in addition to the effects of either active ingredient alone, which may mean that farmers could tank-mix lower rates of the two PGRs combined, and see similar results as a higher rate of either PGR applied alone.”

Researchers at each site also measured environmental conditions (such as temperature, soil moisture and canopy humidity) to identify environmental conditions where PGR application may be harmful to crop development. It is not recommended for farmers to spray PGRs during or following times of plant stress such as frost events, drought, or extreme heat.

The researchers are also taking steps to make sure that aside from the effects PGRs are intended to have – shortening and strengthening the stems – that the plant growth regulators don’t otherwise

All things cereal crop tour

adversely affect the plants. This season, they have been observing the effects of the trial on the following factors: • • • • • •

length of maturity grain yield grain test weight kernel weight grain protein percent plump/thin kernels

Lakeland’s Part Lakeland College carried out the Vermilion-region trials.

This project encompasses some of the very first research on chlormequat and trinexepac in western Canada. It is just the beginning of a growing research program in the area of PGRs. Future research for the 2018 season, again partnering with the University of Alberta and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, is already proposed and in the process of funding approvals.

effectively apply new or forthcoming PGRs to their crops. Future agronomic recommendations for specific wheat varieties, for example, could include variety-specific management recommendations for PGR efficacy. This will enable farmers to be highly efficient and effective in managing the varieties they use to minimize lodging.

Industry partners will use data from the PGR research to help make informed decisions to best formulate and market their products. This will assist in the registration process when commercializing the products in Canada.

Importantly, this collaborative work has allowed Lakeland College to network with other major research institutions in the province.

Perrott will be presenting results from the 2017 PGR trials at the American Society of Agronomy Conference in late October. This conference will expose this Alberta research topic to other research scientists also working with PGRS in the unique agroclimatic regions of Europe and the United States.

The Benefits For Producers and the Industry The research results will help to advise producers and industry on how to most

On August 2, 2017 Laurel Perrott, Lakeland’s lead crop researcher, and her team conducted a Cereal Field Day for local crop producers showcasing “all things cereal” at the small-plot research site south west of Vermilion.

This is one of eight sites that Perrott is conducting crop or pasture research on in Vermilion and surrounding regions.

Guest speakers at the tour included Dr. Linda Hall (Weed Science Professor and Researcher at University of Alberta), Trent Whiting (Alberta Marketing Representative for SeCan), and Joseph Aidoo (Lakeland College).

The Team The research team includes Dr. Linda Hall (back) from the University of Alberta (principal investigator), Laurel Perrott (front) with Lakeland College, and Dr. Sheri Strydhorst (middle) from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Here they are demonstrating plant staging at the crop tours day.

Over 50 local producers were in attendance and toured the display of 1000 small plots, showcasing over 40 new varieties of wheat, 15 new barley varieties, and 10 new oat varieties.

Laurel Perrott says, “It is extremely valuable for producers to see how new cereal varieties are performing in local conditions. A wheat that does well in Edmonton may perform very differently in our unique soil and climatic conditions, and producers need this information to make informed decisions on their farm.”

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

25

Walking Together

First Nations Principles for Ethical Research

Alice

Elizabeth

Alice sits at her kitchen table, in the house she has now in a remote Cree community in the mountains in Central Alberta.

Someone knocks on the door.

Elizabeth is heading out for her second day of site visits for her research project about family living conditions on the Cree reserve.

She opens the door to see a young woman with a clipboard – a very young, very white, woman.

Alice thinks: Kee kwai inta we tak?

(Uh oh, what does she want?).

She’s afraid, and guarded.

Questions race through her mind: What is this about? Is there a problem with my house? Is it about my kids?

Though the white woman is younger and probably has less life experience than Alice has, Alice has learned that these kind of women with clipboards can cause trouble. She knows this one was visiting some of her neighbours yesterday, and they said she asked uncomfortable questions.

The young woman asks Alice if she can have a moment of her time, in tones that Alice knows the white woman thinks are polite. Reluctantly, she opens the door wider.

“May I step inside?” the young woman asks. A new rash of worries floods Alice’s head.

Is my house clean enough? Where is she going to sit? What does she want?

Alice wishes she could say no, but after all, she’s a white woman. Have to let her in… give her what she wants and hope she goes away soon. She steps aside and watches the woman enter her home.

26

LIMITLESS

She pulls her vehicle up in front of the next house and cuts the engine. She shivers a little as she steps from the heated leather car seat out into the winter air and trots up the steps to the front door.

She rings. Waits. Rings again.

When the woman answers the door, Elizabeth sweetly asks for a moment of her time.

But the woman at the door seems reluctant to let Elizabeth in, even though she’s shivering on the step.

Elizabeth tries to smile in a friendly way but that seems rude to her, to leave her standing in the cold like that.

She applies her assertiveness training. “May I step inside?” she asks.

Eventually the woman lets her in, and at her first view of the inside of the home, Elizabeth tries to hide her reaction. She knows that they’ve been taught that many mothers have difficulty keeping homes tidy, but seriously! She should do better than this. Couldn’t some of the kids help?

She forces the smile to stay on her face and steps over to the kitchen table, stacking some of the breakfast dishes to the side to make space to write.

In your opinion, is Alice consenting to the researcher’s presence in her home, in the scenario to the left? On what do you base your opinion?

Differences in culture can mean that well-intentioned researchers who seek to make the lives of Indigenous people better with in-depth social studies sometimes miss the mark, or may end up treating research participants and communities superficially due to a lack of deeper understanding or sufficient time to truly sit with a participant, a scenario, or a community.

Problems arising from superficial involvement of Indigenous peoples in research projects can occur at any point in a project and sometimes long after a project is “completed.” For instance, does “consent” mean the same thing to Alice as it does to the researcher, her research assistants, and the Research Ethics Board? Does it mean the same thing to Alice, who is Cree, as it does to someone who is Blackfoot or Nakoda?

To combat problems that have arisen in the past with differences between academic researchers and communities, the First Nations Information Governance Centre drafted the First Nations Principles of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) in 1998. In a nutshell, as stated at fnigc.ca/ocap.html, this means that: “First Nations have control over data collection processes in their communities, and... they own and control how this information can be used.”

To solve the disparities in the above scenario, for example, elders or a First Nations community liaison could be involved in the visits. Translation is not just about language. It can also be about cultural sensitivity and understanding the meanings behind words and gestures. Even a well-meaning researcher may cause offence or discomfort in a cultural environment they’re unfamiliar with.

Applying the OCAP® principles on the front lines of research requires an investment by all parties to build relationships over time, based on trust, respect, humility, real inclusion, an understanding of academic rigour,

transparency, reciprocal learning, and shared access to the resulting information.

But the important question is, twenty years after they were drafted, are the OCAP® principles working in current practice?

Red Deer College’s Krista Robson says that so far, researchers “were attempting to assess what information is out there to guide ethical research with Indigenous communities, what the strengths of the information are, and about any gaps within this information.”

Collaboration is now underway to synthesize the current knowledge of our collaborators and consultants about the role of Research Ethics Boards in observing OCAP® principles for research involving Indigenous individuals and communities.

Collaborators The Red Deer College Research Ethics Board RDC: The Indigenous Student Services Office and Library Common / Research Common Community Consultants: the Red Deer Native Friendship Centre, RDC faculty researchers, Shining Mountains Community Living Services, Burman University, Lakeland College (Applied Research) and NorQuest College (Applied Research) Individual researchers: Krista Robson, Vickie Cardinal-Widmark, Michelle Edwards Thomson (Red Deer College) This project’s findings will be shared with Indigenous communities and the broader academic and Research Ethics Board communities to ensure college boards are equipped with protocols and best practices that emphasize OCAP® principles within an Albertan context.

Lakeland College Applied Research partnered as a community consultant on this important project.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

27

Expanded Dairy Herd Lakeland’s dairy herd is in the transition stage. All lactating cows are being milked in the parlour. In late October, half will be moved onto the voluntary milking system (VMS) robot.

Lakeland purchased approximately 200 animals for the expansion.

The Dairy SMF Team is currently becoming familiar with the new facility and the expanded inventory. The SMF Team are currently developing Standard Operating Procedures that will monitor the disease status of the herd and develop management protocols.

Dairy Learning

“Work smart, not hard.”

We’ve all heard that excellent piece of advice. Thanks to computers, robotics, smart phones, and modern datagathering techniques, smart farming these days has more data than ever to optimize conditions and treatments and refine techniques for better animal management and higher crop production than ever before. Lakeland College is staying at the forefront of Smart Ag research and practice.

Our Dairy Learning Centre, in partnership with Alberta Milk, is probably the jewel in our Smart Ag crown. Here are some innovations used there to maximize production and animal health and comfort, and minimize environmental impact: Milking: With robotic systems, cows can go for milking on their own up to three times per day, provided the computerized system agrees. There is also a conventional milking parlour for

28

LIMITLESS

research comparisons (e.g. water and electricity consumption).

Calving: Cows are brought into the dairy barn a month before calving, and there is a stress-free calving line. The pens are designed to keep groups of cows together, to minimize hierarchical stress from changing groups.

Feeding: There is an automated feed system with robotic delivery. After calves are separated off, there are automatic calf feeders.

Manure: Manure is separated into liquids and solids. Solids will be stored in a solid compost pad. The liquids will be stored in a lagoon and injected into the soil twice per year to minimize odour and fertilize the soil. If the odour of the lagoon becomes to strong, a straw cannon will be used to cover the lagoon

Smart Agriculture: Moving to the Future, or Remembering the Past?

The pioneers who first came to the west were experts at optimizing heat and energy use, and using, re-using, re-cycling, and re-purposing materials. Simply, they had to be. If you wasted what you had, you might not get any more for a long time.

Centre contents with straw to reduce the odour. Manure scrapers are programmed to run several times a day.

Automation and Health: Automated systems mean fewer instances of people and equipment disrupting the herd, resulting in lower-stress milk production. Automated LED lighting with auto dimming reflects actual daylight for the time of year.

Automated moveable sidewall curtains with powered air movement through five chimneys helps with ventilation for cow comfort.

Cow health is monitored through automated milk sampling.

Prairie settlers with limited or no firewood would have been aware exactly how many heat units their animals could provide by housing them in a barn adjacent to the main house! You had to be a smart farmer to survive here, in the beginning.

It was only after we discovered oil and gas, and consumerism became the “in thing” of the 50s, that Canadians became so wasteful. Houses became much larger than families needed. Heat, light, and electricity seem cheap enough to leave switched on, even when we aren’t home. Whereas our grandparents carefully washed and re-used glass bottles and jars, many of us don’t even bother to put them in the recycling bin now.

In a way, smart agriculture is changing optimization, re-using and re-cycling back to the way it used to be.

Large industrial-scale agriculture provides an excellent context for cycling of materials and energy. Both high-tech and low-tech measures contribute. For example, in our dairy, the heat from the cows’ milk is captured on plate exchangers and transferred for other purposes. For light, the simple expedient of a nice long skylight gives the cows more natural daylight and saves on the amount of electric lighting needed. “Smart Ag” can mean that a little bit of thought can save a whole lot of money.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College 29

30

LIMITLESS

Smarter Agriculture is a Global Imperative The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated that Earth will have 9.6 billion people by 2050, and that we will need to increase food production by 70% to feed everyone properly. As a race, humans have no choice for the future but to work smarter than we have in the past, using fewer resources and less space, producing more food and useful material, polluting less, and using byproducts better so there’s less waste.

What is Smart Agriculture?

Smart Agriculture can mean a lot of things, but typically it is defined as agricultural practices enabled by information and communication technologies and includes hardware, data analytics, networking or sensing technologies, and software tools. It also includes techniques of farming that enhance farm production and reduce input costs and/or wastage.

By minimizing overall cost of operations, including economic, social and environmental costs, we can maximize the availability of resources while improving yields and production. Some easily recognizable examples include precision farming, livestock monitoring, and using farm management software tools. By 2022, the global market for smart agriculture tools and practices is expected to be valued at over 11 billion dollars. Sometimes smart agriculture is also called climate-smart agriculture.

agriculture enterprises and fully responsible for managing all aspects of Lakeland’s commercial ag units, and are expected to meet key performance indicators around marketing, production, economics, operations and stewardship and sustainability.

• Our ability to access the most technologically advanced equipment through our New Holland partnership.

• Our focus on business management and the value chain component in our agriculture programs ensures our students understand the role the consumer plays in driving agriculture markets and the things we need to do on the commercial ag side to support this.

Leading and Learning in Smart Agriculture The Lakeland College School of Agricultural Sciences is very active in Smart Agriculture, contributing significantly to Smart Ag particularly at the producer and commercial levels of the value chain.

Lakeland’s School of Agricultural Sciences can continue to serve and strengthen both the academic and research components of smart ag through: • Our large secure land base, which incorporates both crop and range land • The integration of students directly into actual agriculture operations through our award-winning Student-Managed Farm — Powered by New Holland. Our students are directly involved in

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

31

We’re already doing it on the StudentManaged Farm and beyond

involving feed efficiency. Lakeland has purchased heifers to build a research herd on which data and research on residual feed intake, animal health, and production efficiency can be used to select the most efficient females under Alberta conditions.

Smart Agriculture practices can be found throughout our agricultural sciences programs.

Crop Technology • We’re optimizing land usage through precision farming.

Students work with the most up-to-date equipment and technologies for on-farm data management.

• Our Student-Managed Farm makes use of the latest farm management software such as Field Manager Pro and Compass. Our students input and manage all field and farm data, learning the value of data collection and management for making the best economic, social and environmental decisions.

• The Student-Managed Farm participates in the carbon market providing our students with the opportunity to fully understand carbon sequestration and the value of carbon.

• The crop team participates in programs where commodities are produced and marketed for specific consumer markets such as Nexera canola, milling oats, and pulse crop contracts. Through this, students gain a better understanding of consumer expectations and trends.

Animal Science Technology • Every student takes the animal welfare and handling course. Faculty and students participate in the Alberta Farm Animal Care organization with students attending the conference every year.

• Traceability and biosecurity – we use the latest technology to track and trace animals on campus, and to collect production, health management and behavioral data.

• The recently formed Student-Managed Farm range and forage team focuses on best management practices.

• The Student-Managed Farm livestock research team is working with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the University of Alberta on a genomic research project

32

LIMITLESS

• The new Dairy Learning Centre will focus on learning and research around automation and energy efficiency. Alberta Milk and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry are supporting this energy research.

Smart decisions The Student-Managed Farm also includes a stewardship and sustainability team.

Students are responsible for ensuring all farm enterprises are managed in a sustainable way and for implementing best environmental practices and stewardship of college land.

Lakeland completed Alberta’s Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and students update and work towards stewardship goals that support the EFP. The goal is to produce food in a sustainable way with the least impact on the environment.

Examples include the SMF practices of zero tillage, 4R nutrient stewardship, manure management, and ensuring biosecurity measures are in place.

The agribusiness program focuses on outcomes that support: • Business management skills with a focus on entrepreneurialism • Global competitiveness. Understanding global food production and ensuring strong skills in entrepreneurship and business management.

•

Social responsibility and trust.

• Consumer trends and issues and marketing to today’s consumer.

Lakeland’s School of Agricultural Sciences is well positioned to continue to play a strong role in academics, research and extension of knowledge and skills around Smart Agriculture.

Smart Agri-food supercluster

Innovation Superclusters Initiative In Budget 2017, the Government of Canada announced the Innovation Superclusters Initiative (ISI) as part of the Innovation and Skills Plan. This $950 million initiative is designed to jumpstart innovation in key high-growth potential sectors. The goal is to create more jobs and opportunities for Canadians and to develop Canadian businesses into globally successful brands. The two-stage application process will select three to five industry-led notfor-profit superclusters that will implement a strategy to build Canada’s technology leadership, encourage companies to partner and cluster for scale, build diverse and skilled talent pools, increase access to innovation, and build Canada’s global advantages.

The first stage of the competition resulted in 50 applications for superclusters in the areas of advanced manufacturing, agri-food, clean tech, digital, health and biosciences, clean resources, infrastructure, and transportation. These proposals represented more than 1,000 firms and 350 participants. In October 2017, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains announced a shortlist of nine finalists, with final results expected to be announced in March 2018.

Lakeland College is pleased to be a partner in developing the Smart Agri-Food multi-stakeholder consortium comprised of over 50 firms representing industry, academia, growers and government. Focused on creating value by removing barriers in field systems that span the value chain from input providers to growers, processors, grocers and the public, the Smart Agri-Food Supercluster will help position Canada as an agriculture leader creating new jobs, investment and enhancing market access for the ag sector, while improving social and environmental performance. Bill Whitelaw, Chair of the SASC Steering Committee, says, “We want to approach innovation from a systems perspective, in order to create a Canada-wide platform to help link together key partners and expertise in the country’s agri-food value chain.”

“As one of several partners backing the Smart Agri-Food Supercluster, we are looking forward to working with the Smart Agri-Food Supercluster to come up with innovative solutions to advance the agriculture sector, and position Canada as a preferred global supplier of safe, sustainable food,” comments Doug Beever, Senior Director Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations, Agrium.

Lakeland currently serves 478 students in its School of Agricultural Sciences at the Vermilion campus and is active in crop and livestock research. If the full application is successful in securing federal funding, Lakeland looks forward to expanding its role in smart agriculture education and late-stage technology research and development.

There are two agri-food contenders: Smart Agri-Food Supercluster and Protein Innovations Canada, which are an Alberta-led pan-Canadian supercluster focused on investing in technologies related to Canada’s crop, livestock and agri-food processing sectors, and a prairie-focused protein supercluster to capture the export market opportunity for safe, nutritious plant-based food, respectively.

Photo: The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development was joined by members of the Smart Agri-Food Supercluster and government as he announced the shortlisted supercluster applicants October 11, 2017 in Calgary.

Lakeland College President Alice Wainwright-Stewart is pictured in the front row on the left side.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

33

4-H Field Trip!

May 19th: Jerusalem Artichoke (JART) 4-H Picking Day. The fields of giant yellow flowers that you may have seen around Lakeland College are Jerusalem artichokes. These cousins of the sunflower can create immense amounts of forage for animals, and Lakeland College researchers have experimented to see how to grow them best here. The tubers also make delicious, healthy eating – they were even named the best soup vegetable in the 2002 Nice Festival for the Heritage of the French Cuisine.

On May 19th local 4-H club members helped InnoTech Alberta (Vegreville, AB) and Lakeland College staff pick Jerusalem artichoke tubers at Lakeland College’s Research Centre. Digging sunchokes is like digging potatoes, and the big cultivator, operated by Linden Lundback, came in handy to turn the soil over. The 4-H members followed along behind to pick up the tubers from the top of the ground.

InnoTech Alberta and Lakeland College then treated the 4-H youth to a pizza lunch, a tour of the facilities at the Research Centre, and a presentation about Jerusalem artichokes.

InnoTech Alberta replanted the picked tubers in a new research project in Saskatchewan.

34

LIMITLESS

What’s behind the name?

This plant is native to North America, and has nothing to do with Jerusalem whatsoever!

The story goes that when explorer Samuel de Champlain was given some of the tubers to eat by the first peoples in North America, who cultivated them for food, he thought they tasted like artichokes.

Italian immigrants noted that the plants looked like sunflowers, called girasoles in Italian. As multilingual settlers talked about the new plant, eventually this tuber became commonly known as the Jerusalem artichoke. You may also hear them called sunchokes or earth apples by those who love them.

Portraits of Innovation

Lakeland College offers quality education, easy student access, coordination between schools, and affordability and accountability for its students. This is accomplished through innovation.

Lakeland College is proud to highlight a sampling of innovation happening in a breadth of academic and operational areas in the next seven pages.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

35

EST Students leading their own mock firehall Before the call even comes across the radio, emergency services crews have to be prepared to gear up and go, as any time spared can be the difference between life and death.

Each year, before students step out of the classroom and into their practicum, Lakeland College’s Emergency Training Centre (ETC) instructors prepare emergency services technology (EST) students by providing real-life scenarios to help put their skills and knowledge into action.

Lakeland College’s emergency services technology program is the only full-time 12-month diploma program in Canada delivering comprehensive training in fire and medical.

Our program curriculum exceeds National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements including more practice runs and hands-on activities.

“When I got my emergency medical services certificate, I went from the classroom straight to practicum. I had little idea of what was going to happen when I got to the station,” says James McGonigal, an associate ETC instructor and volunteer firefighter in St. Paul. “By putting the students through drills, it gives them a chance to see what it is going to be like.”

EST students are put through the daily grind of working as a first responder at a mock firehall. Whether they are responding to a standard call such as shortness of breath, or a more abnormal call, including drug-induced hallucinations, students must be prepared at all times.

Lakeland college named 2017 nkba college of the year The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) recognized Lakeland College as the 2017 NKBA College of the Year for its interior design technology program.

This is the first time Lakeland has received the award. Lakeland earned a combined score of 98 out of 100 on the two student designs the program submitted.

Lakeland’s NKBA accredited program was also one of 13 programs from across North America recognized with a 2017 Excellence in Education award.

36

LIMITLESS

“It’s exciting for us to be at the top.

We’ve won Excellence in Education awards before – this is our fifth – but we’ve never been the top school, so it’s gratifying for our program, faculty and students,” says instructor Fiona McLeod, Lakeland’s NKBA program coordinator.

Five Lakeland students won awards in the 2016/2017 Student Design Competition sponsored by Waypoint Living Spaces, marking 14 consecutive years of student award winners.

Top Employer Lakeland College is one of Alberta’s Top 70 Employers for 2017, marking the first time Lakeland has received this accolade.

Kairos blanket exercise Kevin John and Debbie Semeniuk, treaty members of Onion Lake Cree Nation, facilitated blanket exercises for the public, and for the Lakeland College’s Board of Governors.

The participatory workshops helped participants understand how colonization of the land we now know as Canada, has impacted people who lived here long before settlers arrived.

Through this exercise participants explored the nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, how this relationship had been damaged over the years, and how we can work towards reconciliation.

Rec intake continues to grow Lakeland’s Environmental Sciences certificate or diploma program renewable energy and conservation (REC) has continued to increase enrollment.

65 students enrolled in the REC program in 2015–2016, whereas the previous year only 34 students enrolled.

Students can choose to start with our certificate program, and then build more knowledge and skills by taking a second level of renewable energy and conservation courses and earn a diploma. Both programs are offered online, giving students the option of full-time and part-time study.

In our certificate program students study a broad range of topics related to global warming, climate change, skyrocketing energy costs, lifestyle choices, and the possibilities of renewable energy and implications of conservation. Students also will learn about energy use and availability, energy audits and conservation practices.

Angela Minish Chamber President Lakeland College business instructor Angela Minish is the 2017 Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce President.

The diploma program goes a step further and is geared for someone who wants a career in renewable energy. Students study renewable energy systems, system installation, water management and building design. There are twenty on-line courses with a maximum of five years to complete the diploma, and a one-week on-site practicum.

In our diploma program, practicum students perform many tasks including; a solar site survey; install two complete solar PV systems of different designs (solar installations are only done by qualified electricians and that we only expose the students to the design, equipment and techniques used for installation); install one solar thermal system and practice basic plumbing skills; develop skills in pipe fusion used in geoexchange systems; make biodiesel; inspect installations for code compliance; turn wood waste into a gaseous fuel (gasification); and work with a solar concentrator to evaluate its performance.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

37

3d printer at commons Lakeland College Commons acquired a 3D printer based on student interest in this technology. During the 2015–2016 academic year, commons employees heard from students that a 3D printer was a tool they were interested in accessing and learning about. The Library was able to purchase a Machina Mk2 X20 printer in 2016. The Edmonton Public Library and the University of Alberta Libraries also use this model of printer.

How it works

Purpose and availability

The 3D printer uses fused filament fabrication technology, whereby a plastic filament is melted and the object is built up of thin layers of plastic. It can take several hours to print large or intricate objects. The printer allows for multiple types of materials to be printed, including plastics combined with wood or metal fibers. So far the commons has been printing using PLA, which is a cost-effective plastic available in a wide range of colours.

The printer is available for use by Lakeland students, staff and faculty. It is available for instructors who’d like to incorporate 3D printing into assignments and for faculty to print objects for in-class demonstration. There is a significant sharing culture with 3D printing. There are many object designs that can be downloaded for free and printed using our machine.

Members of the community are welcome to contact the Lloydminster Campus Commons about using the printer.

industry input leads to full-time Hairstyling Enrollment has exceeded expectations in Lakeland College’s first fulltime hairstyling program.

“With the approval of this program, we became one of only two public post-secondary institutions in Alberta with a full-time hairstyling program,” says Michael Crowe, Lakeland’s Vice President, Academic. Most full-time hairstylist programs are offered by private institutions.

“Our advisory committee members and salon owners in the region encouraged us to transition to a full-time program because our pre-employment students weren’t continuing their training and becoming certified hairstylists,” says Judy Sarsons, Dean of Lakeland’s School of Health, Wellness and University Transfer.

The program’s curriculum is based on Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training’s courses but Lakeland is also incorporating many student-managed opportunities, which is an advantage for students. They will manage the on-campus salon which includes booking and greeting clients, providing hairstyling services, and managing product inventory.

38

LIMITLESS

Bringing education to the people Lakeland College’s health care aide cohort in Wainwright, Alta., has been deemed “an unbelievable success.”

people” says Paulgaard. “I loved the program, because it was very hands on.”

“Everyone who started the program finished it, with 13 of the 17 enrolled students already working in the health care aide field. All of the students were very motivated because they could take it closer to home and help the community meet the demand for health care aides,” says Judy Sarsons, Dean of the School of Health, Wellness & University Transfer.

Paulgaard has since accepted a job in the homecare system, which she was offered through her practicum.

The program was offered in Wainwright thanks to a partnership between Lakeland College, the Town of Wainwright Economic Development, and Wainwright Adult Learning.

The eight-month certificate program followed the same flexible delivery model offered at the Lloydminster campus. Classes were held weekly on Friday evenings and weekends, and were taught by Lakeland instructor Joan Green at the Wainwright Health Centre.

“We worked closely together to be able to offer a weekend delivery model here, similar to what is offered in Lloydminster. It is certainly meeting industry demand in our area, which employers in town are thrilled about,” says Carley Herbert, economic development officer, Town of Wainwright.

For Charlene Paulgaard, a massage therapist of 14 years, the program opened doors for her to further her skillset and excel in the field.

Pending sufficient demand for the program, the health care aide program may be offered in Wainwright every two to three years.

“I wanted to stay in the medical field, and I like working with elderly

Students in sri lanka Students in Lakeland’s Bachelor of Applied Science: Environmental Management (BASEM) program traveled more than 12,860 kilometres for an international field trip to Sri Lanka during spring break.

The entire BASEM class of 13 students, the dean, Mal Dissanayake, and two instructors, departed for Sri Lanka on Feb. 17. A former resident of Sri Lanka, Dissanayake was integral to planning the trip.

BASEM students visited a river diversion project for elephant and human interactions, a river dam project that Canada funded, a tea factory, an elephant orphanage, and various cultural sites. They went on safaris in Minneriya and Maduru-Oya National Parks and to visit the Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

lakeland wins diversity award Lakeland College is the 2017 recipient of the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity Award.

The announcement was made at the annual Business Excellence Awards celebration, on October 9, 2017. This accolade is awarded to a business or organization that embraces diversity in its workforce, encourages respect and inclusion, eliminates discrimination and barriers, and is helping to create a welcoming and inclusive workplace and community.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

39

early learning and child care program wins cican award The program that launched the student-managed concept, dual credit courses, and French programming at Lakeland College has earned national recognition.

The early learning and child care (ELCC) program received a 2017 Silver Award of Excellence in the Program Excellence category from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). The award was presented to Alice Wainwright-Stewart on behalf of the ELCC program, and highlights programs that are innovative, portable, sustainable and effective.

In the 1980s ELCC introduced the Play Program, a practicum for students in the diploma stream of the program. The Play Program, which continues today, put students in the lead and made them responsible for planning, budgeting, marketing and running the program. The student-managed learning format that originated in the ELCC program is now found in many programs at Lakeland.

Left to right: Robert Szokup- VP, Affinity Market Group, Denise Amyot- CICan President and CEO, Alice WainwrightStewart- Lakeland College President and CEO; and Liane Roy, President and CEO of CCNB

New animal health clinic Lakeland’s current Cattle & Sheep Facility will be renovated and expanded into a modern Animal Health Clinic by early 2018.

This will allow Lakeland to double enrollment in the animal health technology and veterinary medical assistant programs.

Lakeland’s animal health technology diploma program is one of the most popular programs at the College.

Students will care for a wider variety of animals in a modern surgical suite and increased lab spaces in the 14,531 sq.ft.

Animal Health Clinic. Student-managed leadership opportunities will be created, including the sale of pet supplies and animal care services.

Other ELCC innovations include offering its course “Play” as a dual credit course to high school students so they could earn college and high school credits.

The success of the first online dual credit course in 2011 spurred faculty to offer ELCC online courses to adults. Demand for French programming led faculty to partner with Centre collégial de l’Alberta to create a French-language version of the program in 2013.

Because of the many innovations that increased student access to the program, hundreds of students take ELCC courses either online or face-to-face at the Vermilion campus each year. In addition, 322 people have graduated from the certificate and diploma program since 2012 providing industry and families with more trained child care providers.

CICan’s Awards of Excellence recognize best practices from institutions across the country, as well as individual leadership and achievements.

40

LIMITLESS

Nationals are golden

for Womens VolleyBall Lakeland Rustlers women’s volleyball 2016–2017 team won gold and defeated nationally ranked teams at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACA) and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).

Energy Park increases enrollement

2nd class power engineering

A private donation of three acres of industrial land and two large buildings, worth $27 million, enabled Lakeland College to grow its capacity and create more student-managed learning opportunities for students.

Located west of Lloydminster in County Energy Park, the private donation allows Lakeland to increase its presence in the community with this valuable property near the Highway 16 Industrial campus.

The street rod technologies (SRT) program has moved from the Vermilion campus to the new site. Housed in a 12,000 sq. ft. building, enrollment for the SRT program has expanded to accommodate 20 students this fall. In its previous facility, SRT enrollment was capped at 14.

Almost 40% larger than its current space, SRT’s new home features an office suite, enclosed classroom space, mezzanine viewing deck, three bays, a 10 tonne overhead crane that spans the length of the shop, and frame straightening hooks. The new building also has installed an automotive paint room and paint mixing booth, similar to the previous SRT shop.

SRT

The driver training program is based in the second building, which measures 9,600 sq. ft. It features four heated bays to store the college’s two semi-trucks and trailers, which helps to maintain the value of the equipment.

SRT students learn to customize and restore vehicles in this one-year certificate program, which is offered by the School of Trades and Technology. They learn about vehicle design, electrical systems, frames, suspension and more. Using specialized tools, students develop valuable restoration skills such as metal shaping, custom painting and welding. SRT graduates can challenge the autobody prepper apprenticeship exam to continue as an apprentice in this sector. The driver training program covers the Class 1 or 3 license for Alberta or Saskatchewan with qualified instructors who provide one-on-one training.

Energy students are now able to expand their career opportunities with Lakeland College’s new ninemonth face-to-face 2nd class power engineering certificate program.

Students will have the opportunity to learn in Lakeland’s state-of-theart Energy Centre from experienced 1st class power engineers who are also veteran instructors.

“We are focused on becoming a leader in energy programming.

With this new program, Lakeland becomes the only college in Alberta to offer a full-time 2nd class power engineering program through face-to-face delivery,” says Michael Crowe, Lakeland’s Vice President, Academic.

Before seeking approval from Alberta Advanced Education, Lakeland consulted its energy advisory committee, surveyed 66 industry partners who employ 2nd class power engineers, and polled 65 second-year students from its heavy oil power engineering (HOPE) program. According to their feedback, the need for a full-time 2nd class power engineering program was overwhelmingly confirmed.

A Celebration of Research and Innovation at Lakeland College

41

Lakeland dust collection system Have you ever thought about the dust you inhale?

At the wood shop at Lakeland College, we have to!

use a powerful industrial central vacuum system in summer 2016. Throughout the shop there are now drop-down hoses to connect to portable tools (orbital sanders, circular saws, routers, etc), so that the dust is collected directly as it is created. We no longer sweep the floor, but vacuum it instead. In our first intake we collected about 500 L (3 rain barrels!) of dust in an 8-week period.

The most harmful dust to human health are the particles that are 0.5 microns and smaller, which is about 180 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. This tiny dust is so light that if you dropped a handful of it from a height of 5 feet in a room with no air movement, it would take 41 hours to fall to the floor. In other words, once it’s in the air, it stays there for a long time. Larger dust tends to settle more quickly.

The old dust collection unit held more than a ton of dust and was emptied once a year.

This was a huge fire hazard. We also had to manually prod the packed dust from underneath, which led to dust exposure.

For many years, wood dust that irritated the nose, eyes, and throat was just considered a minor nuisance. Numerous recent studies, however, including some by the World Health Organization, have shown that exposure to wood dust can cause serious health problems, including nose, sinus, throat, lung, and skin conditions.

We spent three days testing the air quality in the shop to see how it measured up with Alberta’s Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL) of 5 mg/m3 average airborne inhalable wood dust per day. Instructors wore an automatic sampler that took readings of the air to see how much airborne dust there was, and we discovered peaks of 25 to 50 mg/m3.

That is well over our target, so we decided to update our old dust collection system. Lakeland hired an Engineer (George Caraganis Engineering Ltd.) to educate us about the properties of dust and its health hazards, and to design a system to remove it.

The first step was to change our shop cleaning practices to

In the new dust unit, the dust falls into a rotary valve, which directs the dust into a bin underneath the unit. This is way more user friendly and less of a fire risk. The system also has a sprinkler system inside the unit so if there was ever a fire, we could turn the sprinkler system on to help suppress the fire before the fire crews show up. The fan can spin at low, medium, and high. It has all the bells and whistles, but the most important thing is: Instructors and students now experience zero health effects due to dust exposure.

Athletic director of the year Lakeland’s athletic director Alan Rogan was named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Athletic Director of the Year for the 2016–2017 season.

“It’s pretty humbling. There are so many great athletic directors across the country who have simultaneously elevated their institutions and their programs. For my peers to say Lakeland is the one, that’s pretty cool,” says Rogan, who has been with the Rustlers’ athletic program for 25 years, serving as athletic director for the past 10. “The great thing about this award is that it’s not just for me, it’s for the athletic program as a whole.”

The Lakeland College Rustlers have 12 teams competing in six sports within the ACAC, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, futsal, cross-country running and curling. Lakeland also has intercollegiate rodeo and rowing teams.

42

LIMITLESS

WHY LAKELAND? We’re a global leader in student-managed learning experiences and a hub for innovation and academic excellence. Our students get personal support from the moment they inquire about Lakeland to the day they graduate. Working closely with industry, we provide relevant programming that prepares our graduates for the workforce or further education.

2 CAMPUSES Vermilion & Lloydminster 55+ Programs

ACADEMIC AREAS:

Environmental Sciences

Business

Energy

Agricultural Sciences

Health and Wellness

Fire and Emergency Services

Interior Design Technology

Human Services

University Transfer

Trades and Technology

OUR GRADUATES ARE SUCCEEDING Class of 2014 Graduate Follow-up Survey, 2016

89%

92%

94%

95%

are employed

are satisfied with their job

would recommend Lakeland

are satisfied with the quality of their Lakeland experience

$45,083

average annual salary

Agricultural Sciences

• Agribusiness • Animal Health Technology • Animal Science Technology • Crop Technology • General Agriculture • Veterinary Medical Assistant • Western Ranch & Cow Horse

Business

• Accounting • General Business • Marketing • Real Estate Appraisal & Assessment • Small Business & Entrepreneurship • Accounting Technician • Administrative Professional • Bachelor Degrees

Continuing Education Cours et programmes en ligne

• Aide-élève • Éducation à la petite enfance • Santé mentale

Energy & Petroleum Technology

• Heavy Oil Operations Technician • Heavy Oil Power Engineering • 2nd Class Power Engineering • Gas Process Opperator • Petroleum Management

Environmental Sciences

• Bachelor of Applied Science: Environmental Management • Conservation & Restoration Ecology • Environmental Conservation & Reclamation • Water Conservation & Management • Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation • Renewable Energy & Conservation (Online)

• Automotive Service Technician • Carpenter • Electrician • Gasfitter- Class A • Heavy Equipment Technician • Instrument & Control Technician • Parts Technician • Steamfitter-Pipefitter • Welder

Trades & Technology Pre-employment

• Bachelor of Applied Business: Emergency Services • Emergency Services Technology • Firefighter

Health & Wellness

• Esthetician • Hairstyling • Health Care Aide

Human Services

• American Sign Language & Deaf Culture Studies • Child & Youth Care • Community Mental Health • Early Learning & Child Care • Educational Assistant • Sign Language Interpretation

Interior Design Technology

• Interior Design Technology

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

Canada Post Publication Mail PM40009099

Trades & Technology Apprenticeship

Fire & Emergency Services

Lakeland College Applied Research 5707 College Drive Vermilion Alberta T9X 1K5

Online Courses & Programs Pesticide Applicator & Commercial Dispenser

• Pre-employment Electrician • Pre-employment Welding • Street Rod Technologies

University Transfer

• Bachelor of Arts • Bachelor of Commerce • Bachelor of Education • Bachelor of General Studies • Bachelor of Science • Bachelor of Social Work • Pre-Dentistry • Pre-Dental Hygiene • Pre-Medical Lab Science • Pre-Nursing • Pre-Nutrition • Pre-Pharmacy • Pre-Veterinary Medicine