Post-secondary agriculture students from across Western Canada will converge on Brandon, Man., this month for the Prairies’ first-ever agronomy competition, hosted by the Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment at Assiniboine College March 20-22.
The event, organized by the Prairie Certified Crop Adviser Board, will bring together teams of up to four students from two-year diploma programs to compete in a series of real-world challenges covering crop management, nutrient management, soils and water, integrated pest management and agricultural education.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Organizers say the challenge aims to test tomorrow’s crop advisers in real-world farm decision-making situations.
Filling an education gap in agronomy
The idea has been years in the making, based on the sense that agriculture students were missing out on the kind of opportunities available in other fields, said Chris Budiwski, dean of Russ Edwards.
“Students in agriculture programs didn’t have an opportunity to showcase their skills,” Budiwski said.
In a release, the Prairie Certified Crop Adviser Board said their goal is to support agricultural education and highlight the role of professional agronomists in Western Canadian agriculture.
Practical challenges in agronomy
Participants will complete both team and individual challenges designed to test their agronomic knowledge and problem-solving skills.
The competition is grounded in real-world scenarios, Budiwski said.
“Being able to take real world examples and turn that into a competition focus gives the students great experience on how to problem solve.”
Judging will be handled by volunteers from across the agriculture sector, including agri-retail, agribusiness, academia, research and independent agronomy. Judges will evaluate how well students understand agronomic issues common on the Prairies and how clearly they present their recommendations.
Beyond the competition itself, organizers hope the event will create lasting connections between students from different institutions and provinces, said Danielle Tichit, instructor of Ag/Sustainable Food Systems at Assiniboine College.
“I think it’s going to be really neat to see the students from Russ Edwards School networking with students from other institutions across the Prairies … you never know what that networking could lead to,” Tichit said.
Organizers hope event will grow
While this year’s competition is centred in Brandon, organizers envision it growing significantly.
“As the awareness grows, we expect more participation,” Budiwski said.
Tichit echoed that long-term vision.
“The goal eventually is to have it hosted at different colleges and universities every year,” she said. “We’re hoping that this is the first of many.”
