AFSC & Olds College Re-Sign MOU to Advance Smart Agriculture

Dec 23, 2025

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) and Olds College of Agriculture & Technology are proud to re-sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) – reinforcing their shared commitment to advancing smart agriculture through applied research and innovation, and extending their partnership for another five years.

The MOU sets a strategic framework for continued collaboration in the development, testing, training and demonstration of emerging smart agriculture technologies. Central to the partnership is collaboration in applied research that includes data collection and analysis, evaluation of new digital tools and the sharing of nonproprietary data to benefit producers, AFSC programs and Alberta’s agri-food industry.

“AFSC and Olds College are natural allies – AFSC supports Alberta agriculture through insurance and lending, while Olds College advances agriculture through education and research,” says Todd Ormann, Vice President, External Relations & Research, Olds College. “We share a clear vision to transform the industry and support Alberta’s farmers, producers and agriculture industry. Thank you to AFSC for your work and for our strong, ongoing partnership.”

Building on a partnership that earned AFSC the Olds College Partner of the Year award in 2023 — and supported by AFSC’s role as a proud AgSmart sponsor — the agreement also enhances opportunities for student engagement with in-class presentations and producer-focused skill development training.

Together, AFSC and Olds College will pursue joint applied research projects, including automation technologies such as drones for programs such as estimating hail damage; field trials on the Olds College Smart Farm to validate and demonstrate new applications; and business risk management analytics and technologies that support AFSC and its clients. These projects, along with exploring how AFSC production data can be used to test models and ground truth research initiatives, will further the agriculture industry by using combined data sets and resources.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?