New equipment earmarked for Prairie Innovation Centre
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/04/2022 (1436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Representatives from the CEL Group of Companies have decided to donate $250,000 worth of equipment to Assiniboine Community College’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
This new batch of equipment includes a range of plant growth chambers and environmental monitoring/control systems, according to a Wednesday afternoon news release from ACC.
CEL president John Proven said his group is very much looking forward to the new ACC facility being built, since the process of educating and training students for roles within the agri-foods industry directly aligns with the needs of their core clientele.
CEL Group of Companies is based out of Winnipeg and purports to be the world’s leading designer and supplier of controlled environments for plant growth.
“Having an opportunity to be involved in such a project within our home province is rewarding to our organization,” Proven said in the news release. “We were pleased to be approached by Assiniboine and are proud to engage with them in a meaningful way.”
This isn’t the first time the two groups have worked together. CEL’s Argus control system is currently being used to run the sustainable greenhouse at ACC’s North Hill campus.
“CEL’s equipment has enabled faculty-led research to be integrated with hands-on learning activities with students in horticultural production and sustainable food systems programs,” ACC dean of agriculture Tim Hore said. “We are thrilled to have their quality equipment and support as we look toward the future.”
The overall aim of ACC’s Prairie Innovation Centre is to expand the seats in agriculture-related programming from 300 students to more than 800 pupils.
While the facility carries an overall price tag of $65 million, ACC officials have been attempting to generate at least $15 million through the community since the fundraising campaign began in 2019.
By the end of 2021, college president Mark Frison said the school had raised more than $10 million of that original $15-million goal.
So far this year, members Rocky Mountain Equipment and Murray Auto Group have both pledged $100,000 to bolster the fundraising campaign.
ACC officials are unsure of exactly when construction of the Prairie Innovation Centre will begin on the school’s North Hill campus.
» The Brandon Sun