Lakeland offers innovative new approach to agribusiness

Starting this fall, Lakeland College will offer a re-imagined agribusiness program, one which has been updated to reflect the evolving world of business and agriculture.

“The world of agribusiness is constantly changing with many new and exciting opportunities presenting themselves,” says Geoff Brown, dean of the School of Agricultural Sciences. “We are always working with our advisory boards to ensure that our curriculum and programs are providing our students with the latest education, one which sets them up for success in whichever sector they enter after graduating from Lakeland.”

The newly designed program will begin with a common first semester, after which students will have the option of choosing one of five specialties: production, marketing, agri-food and tourism, sustainability or finance. Previously, the agribusiness program only offered three focusses: livestock, crops or marketing. By adding the three additional streams, students will dive deeper into an area they are passionate about and graduate as well-rounded professionals equipped for diverse work environments.

In production, they will expand their agribusiness knowledge in crop, livestock or mixed farm production, while marketing will give students experience in product, price, placement and promotion. Agri-food and tourism will allow students to develop business ideas using agricultural products in innovative ways. Sustainability will centre on managing economic, social and environmental pillars to leverage long-term success, while the finance stream will have an increased focus on business and financial management.

“Our re-imagined agribusiness program will continue to challenge our traditional students who have a solid agricultural background, but will also appeal to students who have never considered a career in agriculture before. The new agribusiness streams go beyond primarily production, highlighting career opportunities across the agriculture supply chain,” Brown says.

New opportunities for experiential learning will build upon the existing hands-on opportunities, including Band in the Sand event management, farm management simulations, case competitions, industry practicums, and data driven projects integrated with the Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland.

Graduates of the agribusiness program will be set up to succeed in career paths that include:

They will also have the opportunity to further their studies by taking another year at Lakeland to earn a second diploma or to enrol in Lakeland’s agriculture technology degree, the first of its kind in Canada. Agribusiness graduates also have the option to transfer to another post-secondary institute to complete a degree.

The School of Agricultural Sciences relied heavily on industry feedback while creating the new streams and updates to the curriculum, to ensure they would be addressing current trends in the agricultural sector.

To learn more, visit lakelandcollege.ca/agribusiness.