By rdnewsNOW staff

Olds College partners with Cervus Equipment on Smart Farm operations

Mar 17, 2021 | 11:56 AM

RED DEER, Alta. – Olds College and Cervus Equipment have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in the operation of the college’s Smart Farm.

The five-year agreement will see Cervus provide John Deere farm equipment and the labour needed to manage the crop and in-field operation for 380 acres of farmland on the Olds College Smart Farm. In return, Cervus will use the Smart Farm as a training and demonstration site for Cervus’ employees and customers.

“This is a great opportunity for the College to have access to state-of-the-art commercial farm equipment,” says Patrick Machacek, Vice President, Development & Strategy.

“The Olds College Smart Farm was designed as a farm of the future with a primary focus on generating and utilizing data to enhance productivity, sustainability, and profitability. Olds College is excited to be partnering with Cervus Equipment to enhance our Smart Farm data, while offering Cervus staff and customers, along with Olds College students, opportunities to experience how cutting-edge farm equipment is playing a vital role in gathering and utilization of data to make informed on-farm decisions.”

Olds College and Cervus signed the partnership MOU last spring (2020), which resulted in a full fleet of John Deere equipment being used to support the management of the Smart Farm during the 2020 growing season, including seeding and harvest.

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The two organizations will also be developing customized training for stakeholders and customers who can benefit from the utilization of agriculture technology and Cervus-supplied farm equipment, this includes in-class presentations for students.

“Our partnership with the Olds College Smart Farm allows us to use the data generated from the farm to find better ways to utilize the land and the inputs used to grow. This aligns very well with the work Cervus Equipment and John Deere are doing to turn the data generated from our equipment into useful insights and advice for our customers,” said Kyle Henderson, Director of Product Support for Cervus Equipment.

“Our partnership also allows the Cervus team to operate in the field and work with the data generated. Collecting and finding insights from this data help us to deliver new ways for our customers to be more productive on their own farm. This hands-on work with the equipment and the data in the field ensures our whole team knows the equipment and the technology integrated into our equipment and ensures we can deliver better service for our customers.”