Kevin Malica’s roots run deep on Lakeland College’s Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland (SMF). 

He began his studies at Lakeland when the SMF was just beginning to sprout – more of a theoretical idea than anything physical. He and the other students who made up that first SMF cohort worked in the hypotheticals, imagining what they’d do if they were in charge of the farm. They presented those ideas to faculty and staff who took it under advisement. 

“It was all theoretical,” he recalls, standing on the campus farmland in April of this year, watching as his crew installed a new 5,000-bushel grain bin, donated by the company he works for, Meridian Manufacturing Inc. It’s the newest landmark on the SMF which has grown exponentially since he graduated in 1992. 

“Being in the first year of the SMF gave me real-life experience,” Malica says. “I loved it. It was the best thing I could have done. It showed me what it would be like to run a farm and all the different facets of it – the marketing, accounting, production. It was real life.” 

That real-life experience has only grown in the years since his graduation. Now, the SMF experience is all hands-on. Students in Lakeland’s crop technology and animal science technology programs work together in their second year, making real-life decisions that have immediate impacts on the farm. 

Under the guidance of their instructors, they manage the college’s equine, bison, beef and dairy herds, they decide what to plant and how to care for the college’s 3,700+ acres of land. They test out new theories and technologies with Lakeland’s applied research team. 

The farm’s facilities have evolved with the rest of it as well. Now, agricultural classes are taught in the new WHT Mead Building, which opened in 2022. The farm boasts a state-of-the- art Dairy Learning Centre (2017), Animal Health Clinic (2018) and G.N Sweet Research Centre (2016). The Agriculture Technology Centre (2021) is home to the college’s bachelor of agriculture technology, the only program of its kind in Canada. 

Since graduating, Malica has witnessed that growth in person, visiting the college as his roles in the industry changed. 

“It’s amazing to see the work that’s actually happening on the farm, led by the students,” Malica says. “Now, the students do everything. I’m so excited to see that growth.” 

As the national accounts manager at Meridian Manufacturing Inc., he values the opportunity to be involved with giving back, including overseeing the grain bin gift from Meridian. 

“I love my job, I can’t imagine doing anything differently,” says Malica. “When our vice president toured Lakeland a number of years ago and saw the involvement we could have with the college, I just jumped right on board. We are so excited to be part of Lakeland permanently.” 

Photo: Kevin Malica, Lakeland alum, standing in front of the donated grain bins.