Congratulations to the 108th Graduating Class of Olds College of Agriculture & Technology!
18 July 2022 – On Saturday, June 3, 2023, history was made at the Ralph Klein Centre as the College’s largest-ever graduating class, comprising nearly 380 graduates, walked across the stage. To accommodate the significant gathering of friends and family who came together to celebrate, the ceremony was also live streamed from the Fine Arts and Multimedia Centre.
The event commenced as graduates were led into the Ralph Klein Centre gymnasium by a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Honour Guard, accompanied by bagpiper Luke Laurence, an instructor at Olds College, along with dozens of administrators and instructors.
The official convocation ceremony began with Debbie Thompson, Vice President, Academic, Olds College, serving as the Master of Ceremonies, welcoming graduates, speakers and guests to the event. Patti Bauer, an employee of Olds College, performed O Canada, followed by Pam Piche Lashmore, Kookum (Cree/Michif for Grandmother) offered an Elder’s Prayer adding a meaningful touch to the proceedings.
Greetings were then brought by the Honourable Ted Menzies, Chair, Olds College Board of Governors, as well as Earl Dreeshen, MP Red Deer – Mountain View. Celia Sutton, President, Olds College Student’s Association followed by introducing the 2023 Valedictorian – Tabitha Martin, graduate of the Animal Health Technology diploma program. Martin’s valedictorian address highlighted the fear of failure, celebrated the new beginnings and congratulated fellow graduates.
“Our industries are waiting, our futures are coming, and our happiness lies with the present moments that will get us there,” exclaims Martin.
The historic event was further marked by the installation of Dr. Ben Cecil as the 14th President of Olds College. With President Cecil taking his Oath of Office, swearing to “preserve well and faithfully the mission and social purpose of the College, and to ensure our highest tradition of education excellence on behalf of our students, our College, and the communities we serve.”
The moment was commemorated through a Robe Ceremony overseen by both current Chair, Ted Menzies, and past Chair, Leona Staples, of the Olds College Board of Governors.
Following the installation, President Cecil approached the podium to deliver his inaugural Presidential Address. Expressing gratitude, he thanked his family, friends and the platform party for joining him on this special day. He went on to highlight the important role innovation plays in the agriculture industry.
“As you leave the College today to pursue your path and opportunities you have been provided, consider how you will contribute your knowledge, your passion, your dreams, and transform agriculture for a better world, and build a better, more prosperous, sustainable, fair society,” expresses President Cecil.
Debbie Thompson followed President Cecil to present the 2023 Olds College Honorary Degree to Dr. Jay Cross, for his outstanding contributions to veterinary medicine and education.
The Parade of Graduands began, with students crossing the stage to shake President Cecil’s hand and pose for a commemorative photo. Those who achieved academic excellence were also awarded their honor cords. Associate Dean’s Christine Chalaturnyk, Paul Blankestijn and Lisa King, had the honor of announcing the students as they crossed the stage.
Pam Piche Lashmore returned to the stage to acknowledge the graduates and welcome the Red Crow Community College Drum Group, who then performed an indigenous honor song.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of graduation awards by the Olds College Board of Governors, the Olds College Alumni Association, the Faculty Association of Olds College, and President of Olds College.
Source : https://www.oldscollege.ca/
Read MoreLevel 2 Agricultural Business Operations Course is Open for Applications
11 July 2023 – The CAFRE Agricultural Business Operations [ABO] Level II Certificate Course is currently open for 2023/24 applications.
Discussing the course, Course Manager, Kenneth Johnston said that CAFRE has already received a high level of interest and he would encourage anyone intending in applying for the course to make sure that they do not miss the closing date for applications on 31st July.
Kenneth further explained that the course will be delivered one night per week over 20 weeks from October 2023 to the end of February 2024 using a blended approach with a mixture of face to face and online delivery. He also advised that the course is available at all CAFRE Campus locations with classes in beef, sheep and dairying being offered.
Of the 2022/23 students, 100% were satisfied with the course and felt they had gained knowledge from participating in the course and would recommend the course to others. They also felt the course will be of benefit to them when running their farm business.
James Paul [pictured above] from Knockloughrim, Co Londonderry who recently successfully completed the dairying course said: “I really enjoyed the course and learned a lot especially in relation to animal health and dairy cow production and it suited me that it was held in the evenings. I recently returned home to farm after spending 13 years in Canada working in the oil industry. On returning to Northern Ireland I decided to get started in dairy production and realized I needed to do a dairy course to gain more knowledge. I am excited to have started milking cows in the last few weeks and am already putting into practice much of what I learned on the course.
I would thoroughly recommend the course to anyone interested in agriculture or thinking of applying for the Young Farmers’ Payment/Regional Reserve Scheme.”
You can book a place on a course by visiting here https://www.cafre.ac.uk/business-courses/level-2-agricultural-business-operations/
The cost of the course is £150.00.
The CAFRE Agricultural Business Operations (Level II Certificate) qualification meets the agricultural qualification eligibility requirements for the Young Farmers’ Payment/Regional Reserve Scheme. If you require any assistance when booking a place on this training, you can contact CAFRE Industry Training Administration on 028 9442 6880 or by emailing Industry.TrainingAdmin[at]daera-ni.gov.uk
Source : https://www.cafre.ac.uk/
Read MoreUSask Kanawayihetaytan Askiy Graduate Balances Career and Educational Pursuits
11 July 2023 – “As a new First Nations lands manager, I knew that the Kanawayihetaytan Askiy program was a perfect fit to build upon my educational knowledge base,” said Angie Mose.
Kanawayihetaytan Askiy (KA) means “let us take care of the land” in Cree. This academic program is offered by the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and offers both certificate and diploma options.
The KA program examines environmental, legal, and economic aspects of land and resource management in Indigenous communities. Students learn about Indigenous rights, strategic planning, land use planning, traditional knowledge, resource management, intellectual property law, and project management.
Mose will officially receive her Kanawayihetaytan Askiy Certificate at USask Spring Convocation taking place on June 7 at Merlis Belsher Place.
The KA program came highly recommended to Mose from an alumna of the program. As a member of the Stellat’en First Nation and living in Fort Frances, Ont., Mose benefited from the program’s blended learning model of in-person and remote classes that attracts students from across Canada.
The blended learning model accommodates the professional work lives of students. Students travel to the USask campus in Saskatoon three times a year for two weeks of in-person instruction, field trips, and laboratory work. The students then return home for 7-10 weeks of remote study.
“There was field work where we attended off-campus locations to complete labs and various studies,” said Mose. “The hands-on learning portion and traveling to visit beautiful locations was my favorite for learning and allowed for networking and lifetime friendships to be formed. Our class remains closely united in friendship, and we support each other in our professional roles.”
Some of these off-campus locations included the USask Kernen Crop Research Farm to collect and study soil samples and visiting the Wanuskewin Heritage Park. At Wanuskewin, students explored the Opimihāw Walk to learn more about Northern Plains Indigenous histories. The students also completed a GPS mapping exercise on geocaching at Wanuskewin.
Mose’s previous work experience in land management benefited her throughout her time in the KA program, which was her first post-secondary education experience.
“As a mature student having never attended university before, I realized how much my career and work over the years had a lot of value to build knowledge and skills to attend and complete university-level assignments, papers, and tests at an advanced level,” said Mose.
“The support and encouragement I received from my employer, the Agency One First Nations Board of Directors, was positively influential in balancing my work commitments to achieve a 92 percent average overall in my studies.”
Mose was recognized for her commitment to academic achievement and was awarded the CIBC Indigenous Student Award to the top Kanawayihetaytan Askiy Graduate.
Now that her Kanawayihetaytan Askiy Certificate is complete, she has been accepted into the National Level Professional Land Management Certification Program Level II: Technical Training offered by the National Aboriginal Land Managers Association.
With continued learning in the future, she will bring what she learned to her role as a First Nations land manager for Agency One First Nation. Agency One First Nation is Anishinaabe in the Treaty 3 Territory and as joint owners, brings together the Couchiching, Mitaanjigamiing, Naicatchewenin, and Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nations in Fort Frances, Ont.
“The privilege of getting an education and graduating is one of my proudest accomplishments but I also realized that hard work is required for success in a career with or without an education,” said Mose. “However, I cannot express how much an education maximizes knowledge, elevates skills, and builds discipline.”
Source : https://agbio.usask.ca/
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