By all counts, Lakeland College’s second annual Farm 4.0 event was a resounding success.
Held on Thursday, April 4 at the Vermilion Regional Centre, the student-led event centered around the future of agricultural technology and the emerging leaders responsible for its development and operation.
Panel discussions throughout the day featured second-year students in the Bachelor of Agriculture Technology (BAgTech) program who comprise the graduating class of 2024. In panels of three or four, they highlighted their experiences in their practicum placements over the past academic year. Sessions included Harnessing Precision Crop Technology for Agriculture Innovation, Breeding Brilliance: Exploring the Future of Livestock AI in Agriculture, and Fields of Change: Exploring Innovations and Sustainability in Agriculture.
President and CEO of TrustBIX, Inc. Hubert Lau provided the keynote address, emphasizing the importance of networking to build teams that leverage each individual’s skills, knowledge, and connections for collaborative success.
The event also featured tours of the Student-led Farm Powered by New Holland, a trade fair, technology demonstrations, lunch, and networking opportunities.
“Farm 4.0 was a huge success due to everyone’s hard work from getting vendors there, second-year degree students’ panel presentations set up, the amazing lunch, and large amounts of marketing. Everyone played a crucial role in putting this day together,” said Abby Raines, exhibition team lead and first-year Bachelor of Agriculture Technology student. “Watching my classmates putting their best effort into an event of this magnitude was an incredible experience,” she continued. “Everyone used their strengths to their advantage and made this day successful and memorable. Watching everyone’s hard work pay off was super fulfilling for the class.”
Dr. Adrienne Levay, Program Head for the Bachelor of Agriculture Technology Program, said, “We are really proud of how far our students in this program come in terms of their professionalism and expertise as they go through the Bachelor of Agriculture Technology degree program and spend a year working in industry practicums. This event provided these emerging leaders in Ag Tech an opportunity to demonstrate this.”