Lakeland College’s Tracy Quinton explains why systems thinking sometimes matters more than specialization.
When it comes to agricultural education in Alberta, few people have seen the changes up close like Tracy Quinton, dean of agricultural sciences at Lakeland College’s Vermilion campus. Quinton grew up on a mixed farming operation in southern Alberta, spent time as a commodity merchant in the grain trade, and has been with Lakeland for more than 20 years — first as an instructor, then chair, and now dean.
His background in ag business and economics gives him a unique perspective on how today’s students can build skills that meet the rapidly shifting demands of modern agriculture.
We wanted to do this Q&A because many of our readers are farmers whose kids are thinking about college — or perhaps those kids are already flipping through the Alberta Seed Guide themselves. Agriculture has changed dramatically in the past two decades, and so has agricultural education. What skills truly matter now, and how are colleges like Lakeland adapting? We put those questions to Quinton.
Systems Thinking Over Specialization
Marc Zienkiewicz (MZ): Tracy, let’s start with the basics. What’s the one skill — or maybe way of thinking — you believe every ag college student should graduate with today?
Tracy Quinton (TQ): I don’t think it’s a single skill anymore. Agriculture today isn’t just about producing crops or livestock. It’s about understanding climate, soil health, economics, technology, and consumer preferences all at once. Students need a systems thinking approach — seeing agriculture as a set of interconnected, complex problems. The ability to think critically and recognize opportunities for innovation is more important than ever.
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