Certificate in General Agriculture

at Lakeland College - Vermilion Campus Canada

Focus on the creatures that live in our forests, lakes, prairies, rivers and wetlands as you prepare to be an accredited wildlife and fisheries technician.

You’ll learn to identify-- by sight, sound or sign-- the smallest creatures in a pond to the largest animals on land. That means you’ll learn how to:

• Use spotting scopes and trail cameras
• Identify songbirds to owls, and frogs to toads by their calls
• Identify wildlife by tracks, scat, burrows, nests and chews

You’ll spend lots of time in the field learning and practicing applied skills such as electrofishing, GPS operation and live trapping. You’ll earn outdoor certificates including wilderness first aid, bear awareness, and quad/snowmobile/watercraft operation.

In class, you’ll learn about:

• Both animal and plant biology and ecology
• Conserving species-at-risk
• Protected areas, and conserving and enhancing habitat
• Game and harvest management
• Wildlife diseases

Our innovative program bridges agricultural and environmental science. As well, it merges the concerns of both the public and producers. Consumers want to know where and how their food is grown. Farmers and ranchers care about conservation and productivity.
 
Through the program, you’ll be at the forefront of best practices and certified production.

You’ll spend time in field labs honing skills related to:

• Soil science
• Water management
• Grasslands
• Livestock production
• Crop production

You’ll apply that soil, water and plant knowledge to create solutions for sustainable food production.You'll also learn through an industry practicum.

Your skill set will be sought after by:

• Producer associations
• Certified value chains
• Conservation groups
• Municipalities

Lakeland's Bachelor of Agriculture Technology prepares you to take on the challenges of this rapidly evolving sector.

Integrating computer technologies and the Internet of Things has transformed agriculture. At Lakeland, you'll be immersed in those kinds of hands-on, real world experiences--experiences that bring together ag tech with production and business management. You'll use the latest in:

• Ag equipment and its tech
• Software
• Hardware
• Digital devices

 You'll learn:

• On our Student-Managed Farm–powered by New Holland
• In your lab, the new ag tech centre
• From your industry practicum

 Graduate with expertise and technical skills including:

• Precision data systems
• Machinery learning
• Artificial intelligence
• Robotics
• Bioengineering 

Ecosystems and biodiversity are at the heart of conservation and restoration ecology (CARE).
The acronym fits. As a CARE graduate you’ll be making a difference for plants, soils, water and wildlife. Not just for now, but for future generations.

How you’ll do it is by learning practical field skills. Enough skills you'll be able to work in the field between 1st and 2nd year.
In second year, you’ll focus on best management practices and stewardship techniques. You’ll learn how to renew, restore and or conserve anything from grasslands to forest.

Field labs, outdoor classrooms, if where you practice [applied skills].  Some examples include:

• Identify critical habitat requirements for plants and animals
• Use environmental standards to classify wetland, forest and grassland
• Assess, inventory and map disturbed and undisturbed ecosystems
• Apply restoration techniques to real rural and urban landscapes
• Collect field data and report per industry standards

As a graduate you’re work-force ready. You also qualify for an Alberta Institute of Agrologists or the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists designations.

You’ll start by learning a wide range of environmental concepts related to water, soil and plants. You start in the classroom, but you’ll be in outdoor labs within your first month.

Your training is fun, hands-on and useful. You'll apply and practice what you’ve learned using real-life situations. These are the same skills you’ll use throughout your career; skills that employers will notice. They include:

• Aquatic habitat assessments
• Wetlands & soil classification
• Water monitoring and sampling
• Environmental site assessment
• Plant identification

Gain knowledge and skills through agronomy, production, precision farming and financial management classes.
Your learning isn’t confined to classrooms. You’ll learn in the field, by going to industry events and by hearing from local producers.
 
Your real world learning comes after your first year. You choose between:

• An industry practicum
• The Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland

Whatever your choice, you’ll put theory into practice. You’ll have the chance to evaluate agronomic, marketing and financial decisions in real world situations.
As a crop technology graduate, you’re prepared to run your own farm or work in the retail agriculture sector.

As you work towards your one-year certificate or two-year diploma, you’ll learn about:

• Human development
• Health, safety and nutrition to support child development
• How to create a creative and developmentally-appropriate curriculum and design a safe and inviting space for children
• How to support children with exceptionalities
• The business side of running a childcare practice.

Each semester has a practicum. Your third practicum is unique to Lakeland. You and your classmates will set up and run a play program. Together, you’ll:

• Create a parent handbook
• Plan the activities, snacks and schedule
• Create a dynamic theme for the space
• Put your theory into practice

Focus on the beef industry with Lakeland’s new animal science major
In the beef science major you’ll study both commercial and purebred cow/calf operations as well as feedlots. You’ll start at calving and go through the complete production cycle. You’ll finish with beef products – one of your courses is meat science.

Hands-on and student-led experiences are the bedrock of this program. You’ll grow both knowledge and skills related to:

• Herd health
• Nutrition
• Animal handling
• Finance
• Marketing

Your Student-Managed Farm (SMF) powered by New Holland choices include purebred, commercial or livestock research units. Or, you may choose a student-led practicum.
Through labs and student-managed opportunities you’ll have a thorough and practical understanding of the beef industry. You’ll be ready to start your career in any industry sector, or on your own farm or ranch.

Spend a year putting theory into practice and earn a general agricultural certificate.

Focus on either crop or livestock production. Whatever your choice, you’ll learn common skills for modern agricultural operations:

• Computer training
• Keeping accurate business records
• Using up-to-date technology for precision farming

Half of your time will be on college farm putting theory into practice. Our Student-Managed Farm – powered by New Holland includes:

• Beef and dairy herds
• Range land
• Crop land
• Facilities such as the [Dairy Learning Centre] and Agricultural Technology Centre

On the crop side you’ll learn practical field skills such as how to

• Identify weed and plants
• Assess pest problems

On the livestock side, develop basic production skills for dairy, cow-calf, and sheep.

You’ll likely want to stay another year. Earn a [crop technology] diploma or choose one of our animal science technology diploma majors.

Through our program you’ll gain skills and experience to ensure industry and the environment can coexist. This means either reclaiming disturbed lands or minimizing industry’s effects on natural habitats

You’ll learn how to

• Classify, manage and conserve soils
• Recognize and understand a variety of ecosystems
• Do detailed site assessments
• Apply reclamation regulations, guidelines and techniques to disturbed lands

You’ll visit and study forested, mined and cultivated lands as well as native and reclaimed areas.

On field trips , you’ll see current industry practices and technologies. In hands-on field labs you’ll develop and practice more than 20 applied skills industry wants.