Lakeland announces bachelor of ag tech degree

Jan 15, 2021

The degree is the first of its kind in Canada

Staff Writer

Farms.com

This week, Lakeland College staff announced the new bachelor of agriculture technology degree starting fall 2021 at the Vermilion campus.

“It's designed for students who currently have a diploma, a degree, another degree from another institution, or other ag schools, as well as diploma students in agriculture. So, they would funnel into the degree, take two additional years of schooling, and exit with a degree in agriculture technology. It's the first of its kind in Canada,” said Josie Van Lent, the dean of agriculture technology and applied research at Lakeland College.

The development of this new program came from consultations with the industry as well as requests from students wanting to stay and learn more at the college, said Van Lent.

“This degree is really built in response to industry feedback. Then we progressed with developing the outline of the program in terms of what courses should be offered and the learning outcomes. Then we went back to industry and asked if these were the right outcomes, if they wanted to tweak them, or if they had any more feedback for us. It was a pretty robust process involving industry, which is so important to us,” she told Farms.com.

The ag industry is looking for graduates with a skill set that includes the ability to deal with the new technology that’s in ag right now and this new program provides that, said Van Lent.

This program “is a reflection of where the industry is going. We're seeing more and more technology being embedded in our equipment and the use of technology on farms. Whether it's artificial intelligence, sensors or data management programs, we're certainly seeing a great deal more technology on farms. So (there is a) need to have individuals that are trained to deal with that technology,” she said.

This new program will also have an advisory committee that guides it and helps fine tune it moving forward, said Van Lent.

Anyone interested in the program or interested in the advisory committee can contact Van Lent or Lakeland College.

Photo credit: Lakeland College photo

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.