Lethbridge College will take over the Alberta Irrigation Technology Centre (AITC) and the Brooks Greenhouse, the provincial government says in a news release on Oct. 15.
“This new agreement will strengthen Lethbridge College’s research efforts, while providing a new way for students, researchers and industry to work together on the AITC and CARIE facilities,” Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta minister of advanced education, says in the release.
Details are being finalized on the $2 million agreement which will see the college manage the 200 aces and three AITC pivots. The Brooks Greenhouse will be transferred as part of the college’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the release notes.
The college will hire five staff to manage these facilities. This agreement will allow scientists the opportunity to conduct research at a scale Alberta farmers can then apply in the field, the release says. The college will operate the facilities as workspace for agriculture researchers from across the industry – post-secondary institutions, private industry and more.
This agreement is part of the Alberta government’s agriculture research transition, which has included starting Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR). Over the long term, RDAR will assume ongoing responsibility for the funding agreement with Lethbridge College, the release notes.
“RDAR is pleased to support the AITC and Brooks Greenhouse going forward. These programs provide direct and tangible benefits to producers and improve competitiveness and profitability,” David Chalack, interim board chair of RDAR, says in the release.
