Olds College has hired Joy Agnew as its director of applied research, Centre of Innovation.
In that role, Agnew will build on research undertaken at the college over the past two decades in areas such as turfgrass, wetlands, livestock and field crops.
As well, she'll focus on emerging opportunities created via the Olds College Smart Farm.
Agnew began her new job on Jan. 7.
“Olds College is committed to being a leader in agriculture technology and strengthening Canada’s ag sector through innovation, testing, demonstration and skill development," says Patrick Machacek, vice-president of development and strategy at Olds College.
"We are growing our programming, applied research and partnerships to create a cutting-edge high-tech learning and applied research environment,” Machacek adds.
“Our strategy includes collaboration between students, lifelong learners, faculty and industry partners throughout the agriculture and technology sectors."
Before coming to Olds, Agnew was the program manager for agricultural research services at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) in Humboldt, Sask.
There she led dozens of projects related to grain storage and drying, biomass handling and logistics, fibre harvesting and processing, agronomy, bioenergy production, and technical and economic feasibility analyses for the agricultural industry.
Agnew grew up on a grain farm near Prince Albert, Sask.
She obtained her B.Sc. in ag/bio engineering at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) in 2000 and went on to complete her M.Sc. in compost science at the University of Alberta in 2002.
After that, Agnew returned to the U of S where she worked as a research engineer for the SaskPork Chair in Environmental Engineering.
One of her projects as a research engineer rolled into a Ph.D. program in the area of greenhouse gas and odour emissions from manure spreading, which she completed in 2010.
Machacek says Agnew’s expertise and experience will "be extremely valuable as we grow our applied research program, and we are delighted to have her join the Olds College team.”
“I am very excited to join the team at Olds College,” Agnew says.
“I am passionate about agriculture, research and teaching, so this opportunity allows me to be involved in all three in a dynamic environment.
"I'm looking forward to being a part of the growth and collaboration between the Smart Farm and the Olds College Centre for Innovation.”
Blayne Meek is director of corporate communications and marketing at Olds College.
