Certificate - Post-Bachelor Commercial Agriculture Production

at Lakeland College - Vermilion Campus Canada

Spend a year putting theory into practice and earn a general agricultural certificate.

Focus on either crop or livestock production. Whatever your choice, you’ll learn common skills for modern agricultural operations:

• Computer training
• Keeping accurate business records
• Using up-to-date technology for precision farming

Half of your time will be on college farm putting theory into practice. Our Student-Managed Farm – powered by New Holland includes:

• Beef and dairy herds
• Range land
• Crop land
• Facilities such as the [Dairy Learning Centre] and Agricultural Technology Centre

On the crop side you’ll learn practical field skills such as how to

• Identify weed and plants
• Assess pest problems

On the livestock side, develop basic production skills for dairy, cow-calf, and sheep.

You’ll likely want to stay another year. Earn a [crop technology] diploma or choose one of our animal science technology diploma majors.

Focus on the creatures that live in our forests, lakes, prairies, rivers and wetlands as you prepare to be an accredited wildlife and fisheries technician.

You’ll learn to identify-- by sight, sound or sign-- the smallest creatures in a pond to the largest animals on land. That means you’ll learn how to:

• Use spotting scopes and trail cameras
• Identify songbirds to owls, and frogs to toads by their calls
• Identify wildlife by tracks, scat, burrows, nests and chews

You’ll spend lots of time in the field learning and practicing applied skills such as electrofishing, GPS operation and live trapping. You’ll earn outdoor certificates including wilderness first aid, bear awareness, and quad/snowmobile/watercraft operation.

In class, you’ll learn about:

• Both animal and plant biology and ecology
• Conserving species-at-risk
• Protected areas, and conserving and enhancing habitat
• Game and harvest management
• Wildlife diseases

Gain knowledge and skills through agronomy, production, precision farming and financial management classes.
Your learning isn’t confined to classrooms. You’ll learn in the field, by going to industry events and by hearing from local producers.
 
Your real world learning comes after your first year. You choose between:

• An industry practicum
• The Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland

Whatever your choice, you’ll put theory into practice. You’ll have the chance to evaluate agronomic, marketing and financial decisions in real world situations.
As a crop technology graduate, you’re prepared to run your own farm or work in the retail agriculture sector.

You’ll start by learning a wide range of environmental concepts related to water, soil and plants. You start in the classroom, but you’ll be in outdoor labs within your first month.

Your training is fun, hands-on and useful. You'll apply and practice what you’ve learned using real-life situations. These are the same skills you’ll use throughout your career; skills that employers will notice. They include:

• Aquatic habitat assessments
• Wetlands & soil classification
• Water monitoring and sampling
• Environmental site assessment
• Plant identification

Environmental monitoring and protection emphasizes water quality protection, a growing area of employment and environmental concern.  You'll learn how to protect and sustainably manage both water and land resources through field procedures and best practices such as protecting surface water and riparian habitats. 

Whether on a field trip or in a lab, your hands-on training uses modern field equipment to learn how to do full environmental monitoring, field surveys and protection programs for water and soilsstudents measure water flow.  You’ll be job ready on two fronts: practical job skills and industry-required safety certification. That includes safe ATV and boat operation.

You’ll develop employable skills in environmental sampling, site assessment and waste management. They include:

• Surface water, ground water, air, vegetation and soil monitoring & sampling techniques
• Field techniques in biomonitoring and habitat assessment
• Phase I and II site assessments in upstream oil and gas, commercial and industrial settings

As you work towards your one-year certificate or two-year diploma, you’ll learn about:

• Human development
• Health, safety and nutrition to support child development
• How to create a creative and developmentally-appropriate curriculum and design a safe and inviting space for children
• How to support children with exceptionalities
• The business side of running a childcare practice.

Each semester has a practicum. Your third practicum is unique to Lakeland. You and your classmates will set up and run a play program. Together, you’ll:

• Create a parent handbook
• Plan the activities, snacks and schedule
• Create a dynamic theme for the space
• Put your theory into practice

Ecosystems and biodiversity are at the heart of conservation and restoration ecology (CARE).
The acronym fits. As a CARE graduate you’ll be making a difference for plants, soils, water and wildlife. Not just for now, but for future generations.

How you’ll do it is by learning practical field skills. Enough skills you'll be able to work in the field between 1st and 2nd year.
In second year, you’ll focus on best management practices and stewardship techniques. You’ll learn how to renew, restore and or conserve anything from grasslands to forest.

Field labs, outdoor classrooms, if where you practice [applied skills].  Some examples include:

• Identify critical habitat requirements for plants and animals
• Use environmental standards to classify wetland, forest and grassland
• Assess, inventory and map disturbed and undisturbed ecosystems
• Apply restoration techniques to real rural and urban landscapes
• Collect field data and report per industry standards

As a graduate you’re work-force ready. You also qualify for an Alberta Institute of Agrologists or the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists designations.

Go beyond the classroom with our new post-bachelor commercial agriculture production certificate. This certificate is designed for ag degree holders who want to build their practical skills.

There’s no substitute for putting your knowledge into action. You’ll do that through hands-on learning with:

• Crops
• Livestock
• Equipment
• Technology

You'll boost both your real-world and critical-thinking skills by working and learning on our Student-Managed Farm - powered by New Holland/ It's Canada's only student-managed farm.
Choose a crops or livestock stream. No matter your choice, you’ll gain insight and experience about typical agricultural production in Western Canada. And, ultimately be better prepared for your career.

A computer lab with specialized design software is just for your program. So is a plotter, a sample room and a work room. All are available 24 hours a day.

Along your two-year college journey, you’ll develop practical skills such as drafting and rendering.
You’ll also learn:

• Design fundamentals
• History
• Space planning
• Materials
• Sustainable building practices
• Residential construction
• Finishes

Set your career in the dairy industry in motion with Lakeland’s new animal science technology major.

 Through our dairy science major you’ll learn specialized dairy management skills. You’ll study:

• Production
• Herd management
• Nutrition
• Farm management
• Sustainability

You’ll learn hands-on and through student-managed activities. Those activities range from practical herd management to implementing new technologies. Our Dairy Learning Centre will be central to many of your learning experiences. You’ll investigate current industry events and trends.
 
In your second year, you’ll be a member of the Student-Managed Farm (SMF) dairy unit. Or, you’ll do a student-led practicum. Whatever your choice, you’ll understand multiple aspects of how to manage a dairy farm. The range goes from herd health to supervising employees to business financials.
 
You’ll graduate armed with knowledge and tools to return to the farm or to make your mark in another area of the dairy sector.