This year’s harvest season was more than just a busy few weeks in the field – it was a showcase of teamwork, innovation and leadership in action.
For second-year crop technology student Connor Klassen, the season was a smooth one thanks to ideal weather, a strong
team and plenty of collaboration across Lakeland’s Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland (SMF) operations.
“We had about 44 crop tech students involved and everyone was willing to help – whether it was trucking grain, combining or running tests,” says Klassen, the SMF crop unit general manager. “It made a big job feel manageable because everyone pulled their weight.”
While the peas were taken off before students returned in September, the team was busy harvesting canola, wheat, peola and more, while also contributing to other SMF teams – including helping cover silage pits for the dairy and purebred units. “New to Lakeland” crops this year included red lentils, which are not typically grown in the Vermilion area, and peola, a canola field pea intercrop. In total, students harvested 1,300-plus acres of crop varieties.
Research and industry partnerships were also active this fall, with companies like
BASF working alongside students on crop plot trials.
Following harvest, the SMF crop team completed all its fall farm work, including spreading liquid manure and completing tillage to prepare the fields for next spring.
“We’re all sitting in a fairly happy position,” says Klassen. “We even have some grain hauled already to Cargill and Viterra.”
Crop tech students on the marketing team continue negotiating contracts with local buyers, reinforcing the full farm-to-market experience that sets Lakeland apart.
Beyond day-to-day operations, the SMF crop team is thinking ahead. Proposals are already in the works for new equipment for the college to evaluate, including a corn planter aimed at improving efficiency and reducing custom costs. Future plans also include exploring new crop varieties, such as triticale for silage and additional lentil acres after a strong showing this year.
“What makes Lakeland special is that we’re not just learning about farming – we’re managing it. The advisors guide us, but the decisions come from us. It’s real experience, not simulation. Every day you can learn something new – I didn’t realize how much hands-on experience you actually get here,” Klassen says. “I would recommend Lakeland to any young farm kid, or even if you’re not a farm kid, because if you show up every day and you’re willing to put the time in, you’ll get a lot out of this program.”
That hands-on approach is also opening doors for students beyond campus. Klassen is already working with PowerRich Fertilizer and plans to return to his family’s mixed farm near Crooked Creek, Alberta, after graduation.
“Coming to Lakeland opens up a lot of opportunities."
Photos: Top - Two crop technology students inspect a stalk of wheat. Bottom - Lakeland College President and CEO, Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, stands with two crop technology students in a crop field of wheat.