Olds College offers cannabis program

May 03, 2018

The program includes online and practical courses

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

An Alberta school unveiled a new program designed to give students the skills to thrive in an emerging ag sector.

On Tuesday, Olds College introduced its Cannabis Production Program. The 10-week course consists of four online courses and a two-week field study with Sundial Growers and Terra Life Sciences, two licensed cannabis producers. Each online component is also two-weeks in length.

Registration opened Tuesday and students will begin classes in July.

The school is excited to create “new programming and research opportunities that support the cannabis sector and provide new learning opportunities for students,” Debbie Thompson, vice president academic & student education and chief innovation officer with Olds College, said in release yesterday.

The online courses will focus on horticulture production, greenhouses, cannabis law and production.

Cannabis coming to Olds, Alta.

Cannabis-related investments in nearby communities make the school a perfect fit for such a course.

Sundial Growers received funding in February to build two 210,000 square-foot facilities in Olds. Terra Life Sciences is building a 230,000 square-foot facility in the community, the company announced on Tuesday.

Candre Cannabis hopes to construct a 42,000 square-foot building in nearby Sundre, Alta., where the organization hopes to produce 9,000 kg of cannabis per year.

"Sundial is committed to the development of a highly skilled cannabis production workforce in Alberta," Torsten Kuenzlen, Sundial CEO, said in a statement on May 1. "This partnership with Olds College allows us to support our local community while preparing individuals for employment in the cannabis industry."

About 11.7 per cent of national cannabis consumption in 2018 will occur in Alberta, making the province the fourth largest consumer market for the crop, a 2016 study from the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates.

The federal Liberals originally aimed to legalize cannabis by July but have indicated legalization could be delayed.

Cannabis Production Program courses

Course Name	Overview
Introduction to horticulture production	This course provides an entry level overview of horticulture production for someone completely new to horticulture. Students will learn basic plant botany, plant life cycle, and seed storage of common plants. A variety of propagation methods will be discussed, including plant, seed and vegetative tissue and culture propagation. An overview of how commercial greenhouse crops are produced will be discussed.
Introduction to crop production and facilities	In this course, students will be exposed to different types of growing facilities, and their respective crop production systems. Environmental management equipment, irrigation systems, soil management, and pest control will be discussed. This broad introduction provides students with an initial awareness of the facilities they may encounter in a commercial context.
Cannabis legislation and documentation	Students will learn the basics for ensuring government compliance surrounding the production of cannabis. Legislative requirements surrounding security, quality assurance and quality control, and post-harvest handling will be discussed. This course will prepare students who intend to work in the cannabis field with an overview of requirements for compliance and how to remain up to date if and as policies change.
Horticulture for cannabis production	Students will apply introductory horticulture knowledge to cannabis-specific production in this course, to empower them to tend and care for plants in entry-level production work. Cannabis botany, growth cycle, genetics and propagation, pest management, and harvesting will be addressed. This course will include an introduction to chemical composition of cannabis. Typical grow room structures, designs and setups will be discussed.
Practical cannabis production – field study	Students will apply the production practices from the cannabis production program in a hands-on environment in a series of short work experience opportunities with a variety of producers across the industry. Students will be exposed to all aspects of production, from propagation to drying, packaging and the regulatory procedures. This field study will involve work at local facilities including our partners Sundial Growers and Terra Life Sciences. Students must have completed the previous four courses in this program.

RylandZweifel/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo

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