Farming and planning may be spelled differently, but the idea is the same at Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Research Farm. Both demand the ability to read changing conditions, adapt on the fly and keep one eye firmly on the future. At the research farm, those abilities drive everything from what gets planted to the questions being asked of the soil itself. Located just east of Lethbridge, its 385-acres (155-hectares) may look like a few small plots of winter wheat in early spring, but behind the scenes, months of planning are about to kick-start one of the most exciting times of year.
Established in 2000 by the Governments of Canada and Alberta and named the Canada Alberta Crop Diversification Initiative, the goal of the research farm was twofold: to showcase whole-field irrigation management methods and to serve as a location for demonstration and experimentation of small-plot research projects. Often spanning just a few square metres to dozens of acres, the projects helped bridge the gap between small-plot trials and full-scale farm application.
More than two decades later, that core purpose endures. The research farm, under the administration of Lethbridge Polytechnic since 2020, supports up to 15 active research projects at any given time, spanning irrigation technology, crop variety trials, soil science and crop drying and storage, all while growing a diverse range of cereals, grains and specialty crops like potatoes and sugar beets. The farm grows crops representative of southern Alberta’s agriculture makeup to best study management strategies around them. That makeup shifts based on industry needs, research priorities and the realities of crop rotation.
Rotation is, in fact, one of the more challenging aspects of managing a research farm at this scale. With a canola or spring wheat rotation, for example, only 25 per cent of the farm can be in that crop at any given time, meaning a fertilizer trial can’t be repeated on the same land for several years due to residual nutrients compromising results.
“We need to cover a lot of ground with not very much ground,” says Mike Ellefson, farm manager, who has worked at the farm since 2002, long before it was part of the polytechnic’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The farm also pursues smaller-scale projects – plot-scale or single acre for forage, or specialty crops like hemp that have come and gone based on research interest.
“We strive to remain consistent, but at the same time, we’re all flexible and adaptive in how we respond to industry needs – and the need is there,” says Dr. Willemijn Appels, Mueller Irrigation Research Group chair.
Despite its purpose as a research farm, it operates functionally like the majority of farms in southern Alberta with centre pivot irrigation equipment adorning the fields. A practice used in southern Alberta since the late 1800s, irrigation is vital to the growth and sustainability of agriculture in the region. Now, the land serves as a place to demonstrate the benefits of more deliberate or efficient practices that reduce water loss, such as subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and variable rate irrigation.
“Irrigated crop producers get inundated with technology that promises to help reduce water use or increase efficiency in their operations,” says Appels. “These claims are rarely validated against prevailing irrigation practices, and sensor data often differs from the condition assessments producers rely on when making irrigation decisions.”
Appels and her team are using new sensors and data to improve irrigation scheduling for producers. This three-year project, in collaboration with the University of Alberta and funded by Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) and Alberta Innovates, includes summer students and graduates from the polytechnic's Ecosystem Management and Agriculture Sciences programs, along with internship students from the Computer Information Technology program. Together, they are developing user-friendly estimation software that will perform complex simulations using sensor network data to estimate and evaluate plant and soil moisture conditions to inform irrigation scheduling practices.
The research farm is where data for spring wheat, canola, field peas, sugar beets and potatoes is collected and computer simulations are validated. Ideally, the project will see the development of an open-source software platform that enables producers and agronomists to evaluate irrigation amounts, timing and other variables to optimize their irrigation water use.
And the farm is not limited to irrigation. Researchers cover a lot of ground, including contributing to national collaborative projects. As a benchmark site for the Canadian Nitrous Oxide Collaboration Network project, led by the University of Guelph, Appels measures nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and soil processes to better develop and validate emission-reduction targets.
“Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is essential to global food security, but inefficiencies in its use come at a significant cost both economically and environmentally,” says Appels. “N2O emissions from these products are approximately 270 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2), making responsible management critical. While Canada already leads the world with sustainable practices like zero and minimum tillage and regenerative agriculture, our research farm is doing its part in solving a problem facing the country’s entire agricultural industry.”
Whether it’s tangible results like a new software platform, or long-term strategic contributions to the environmental policy of the nation, the research farm has a place in Canadian agriculture.
Both projects rely heavily on external funding from donors, industry and government partners, such as RDAR, Alberta Innovates, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the joint federal-provincial Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership and donations from the estates of Lloyd and Dorothy Mueller and Joe and Laverna Hranac. Additionally, the polytechnic recently signed a 20-year land lease agreement with the Government of Alberta for the research farm, offering what Appels and Ellefson both agree bolsters consistency and reliability of the farm’s services.
“We have a baseline, our research teams and our partners and collaborators for projects, but it’s donors and grants that make our day-to-day lives possible,” says Ellefson. “It’s not like we’re worried about paying the bills, but there are opportunities for growth here, through staffing and equipment, that could see us performing at a higher level.”
This foundational support is what allows the farm to take on the volume and variety of projects, while being a reliable, long-term partner rather than a project-by-project operation.
The team also has clear ambitions for what comes next, such as new equipment and deeper engagement with irrigation technology vendors who could use the farm as a demonstration platform. As more students and programs become involved, the vision for the farm isn’t just to be bigger – it’s to be more deliberate in its connections: supporting student projects and research opportunities while serving as a knowledge hub for farmers, producers and the public with questions about new crop varieties, irrigation innovations or long-term industry partnerships.
That connection is what donors, like the Muellers and Hranacs make possible – turning a field of sprouting winter wheat into a living laboratory, contributing to the future of Canada’s most important growing region.