Dozens of researchers and dignitaries from across Canada recently attended a three-day conference at Olds College.
The Oct. 14-16 Tech-Access Workshop drew officials from 30 technology access centres (TACs). It was the first time the TACs conference has been held in Western Canada.
TACs are specialized research and development centres that are affiliated with Canadian technical institutes and colleges.
“We have come together because a lot of the challenges and ways of doing things are similar,” said Kaley Segeoer, business development coordinator at Olds College for the technology access centre for livestock production.
“We can learn from each other, allowing us to become more efficient by learning from each other and seeing how we have taken different approaches.”
The conference included workshops, presentations and demonstrations.
TACs are administered by the federal Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, as one of the initiatives that comprise the Tri-Council’s College and Community Innovation Program (CCI).
The annual federal budget for TACs is $6 million.
The TACs help businesses by conducting applied research and development projects focused on company problems, offering specialized technical services and objectives advice, and providing training related to new types of equipment and processes, she explained.
“TACs is a program to help small and medium businesses, as well as industry groups, access research facilities and expertise that exist within the colleges,” she said.
“It helps those small and medium businesses use that technology, that expertise, those facilities to develop new products, test those new products, conduct market assessments, as well as we can help in creating training and materials in support for their employees.”
Olds College is home to the TAC for livestock production, with a focus on feed production, forage, beef cattle and sheep production.
“Each TAC has its own unique focus and expertise,” she said. “Some have a national scope and some have a more regional scope. Olds College’s TAC is the only one that focuses on livestock and agriculture.”
The Olds TAC helps producers by enhancing production efficiency, decreasing environmental impact, and promoting animal welfare and health, she said.
It also offers resources and services related to feed development testing, beef management, genomics testing, and other areas.
As well as TAC officials, others attending the conference included college students, guest speakers and industry representatives.
The conference included a rodeo put on by the college.
“We are giving them a true, authentic western experience featuring our college rodeo team at a rodeo just for them,” she said.
“We are also going to be talking about rodeo and how it fits in with the community and the economic impact of rodeo.”
