Lethbridge Polytechnic is celebrating a transformative $2.8 million gift from the estate of Joe and Laverna Hranac, the second largest donation in the institution’s history.
Announced in August, the gift will support operations at the Lethbridge Polytechnic Research Farm, enabling the continuation and expansion of applied agriculture research and innovation. It also enhances the polytechnic’s capacity for student-focused, industry-connected agricultural research.
“This legacy gift from Joe and Laverna Hranac ensures our students and researchers can continue to work alongside industry partners to solve real-world agricultural challenges,” says Dr. Brad Donaldson, president and CEO of Lethbridge Polytechnic.
“It’s a lasting investment in education, innovation and the agricultural community that helped shape the Hranacs’ lives.”
Lethbridge Polytechnic has been conducting applied research in agriculture for more than 30 years, most recently within the Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE). CARIE has managed operations on the 385-acre research farm since 2020 as part of a lease agreement with the Government of Alberta.
“The Hranac family’s gift – to support the research farm – strengthens our ability to respond to emerging challenges in southern Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food sector, specifically in the areas of integrated food production systems, irrigation science and post-harvest technology,” says Dr. Andrew Dunlop, associate vice-president – research.
“Their generosity also supports the polytechnic’s commitment to hands-on, applied learning that is deeply connected to industry.”
Born and raised in southern Alberta, Joe and Laverna Hranac were lifelong sugar beet, grain and canola producers who farmed land south of Chin and Cranford. Joe passed away in 2008 and Laverna in 2022.
Though they had no children of their own, the Hranacs were closely connected to their extended family who say their gift to the polytechnic was inspired by a shared belief in the power of education and a desire to invest in students and agriculture for generations to come.
“Joe and Laverna’s roots were based in farming, and along with that they carried a love of education and family throughout their lives,” says Joe’s niece, Cindy Powell. “They believed in working hard, helping others and creating opportunities for the next generation. This gift reflects their vision of what’s possible and the kindness they shared with everyone around them.”
A formal gift announcement was held Aug. 21 and coincided with CARIE’s annual Farm Field Day. Powell and several members of the Hranacs’ extended family joined the campus community at the Research Farm to celebrate, speak with researchers and learn more about irrigation water management, potato trials, applied agriculture research and how CARIE is meeting industry needs.
In doing so, the day served as a bridge between past and present, highlighting not only the potential for the Hranac family’s donation, but the ongoing benefits of a similar legacy gift that helped shape the polytechnic’s research direction more than a decade ago.
In 2014, Lethbridge Polytechnic received $3.1 million from the estate of Lloyd and Dorothy Mueller – a record-setting philanthropic gift for the institution. The donation was instrumental in establishing the Mueller Irrigation Research Group which, over the past 10 years, has helped position the polytechnic as a national leader in water and irrigation innovation.
The Mueller Irrigation Research Group investigates the hardware and software that can enable more sophisticated water management on farms. Researchers explore the impacts of the adoption of these new technologies on water use efficiency at the field scale. The research is shaped in close collaboration with local producers, the provincial government and irrigation districts, and students at the polytechnic are involved in all projects.
Current Mueller Irrigation Research Group projects include field studies of water and nutrient management with subsurface drip irrigation systems, field and model studies to quantify the value of various sensor types for irrigation management and economic modeling to optimize water distribution on farms when irrigation water supply is limited.
“The Mueller family’s gift more than a decade ago helped shape what our agriculture research program is today,” says Donaldson. “Thanks to Joe and Laverna Hranac’s extraordinary generosity, we can build on that momentum by creating more opportunities for students and researchers to help producers meet the challenges of tomorrow.”
Lethbridge Polytechnic is deeply grateful for donors who include the institution in their estate plans, ensuring their legacy lives on through hands-on learning, industry collaboration and community advancement.
For more information on planned giving, visit lethpolytech.ca/donate.
