Lakeland College's applied research department is the recipient of a five year, $2,250,000 Mobilize grant from the tri-agency College and Community Innovation (CCI) program.

A trio inspect a stem of canola“This funding will allow us to expand our research capacity to continue to advance productivity, efficiency and sustainability in key crop and livestock species in the province,” says Dr. Todd Sumner, vice president of academic and research at Lakeland College. “We will be able to increase the talent, innovative facilities and expertise our research team needs to continue to lead projects of all sizes. It will also encourage more long-range planning for student engagement in applied research at Lakeland, and longer-term collaborations.”

Made up of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the CCI is dedicated to strengthening the connection between Canadian colleges and other organizations whose research goals centre around creating economic, social, health and environmental benefits for Canada.

“With this increased ability to act on emerging opportunities, Lakeland will be better positioned to address the challenge of balancing the needs of increasing crop and livestock productivity and quality to feed an ever growing world's population while responsibly managing its impact on our environment,” says Sumner.

Livestock research themes are:

  • Animal health, welfare and wellness
  • Forage, grazing and feeding systems
  • Precision livestock farming
  • Improving livestock production efficiency and sustainability.

Crop research themes are:

  • Monitoring microclimates and disease forecasting
  • Pest and disease management and surveillance
  • Agronomics, environmental sustainability and best management practices
  • High yielding and competitive varieties.

Photo: A trio inspects a stem of canola.