Integrated Agriculture Technology Centre (IATC)

Lethbridge College, Lethbridge, Alberta
What the facility does

Offers expertise, services and technologies in the field of agriculture

Areas of expertise

The Integrated Agriculture Technology Centre (IATC) connects the agriculture industry with technologies and research expertise at Lethbridge College. The IATC serves small- and medium-sized enterprises by providing applied research and innovation services to solve challenges, as well as specialized training on the latest equipment and emerging technologies.

Our dedicated research teams provide ag-tech, greenhouse, aquaculture and large-scale crop producers with access to customized services and first-hand research data on unique technologies including integrated food production systems, aerobic bioreactors, dewatering techniques, waste treatment, water processing, precision irrigation and fertigation, agricultural engineering, automation and control systems, organoleptics and food safety.

OUR RESEARCH TEAMS

AQUACULTURE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

The team in the Aquaculture Centre of Excellence is internationally recognized in aquaculture and aquaponics research. Our greenhouse operations, biosecure isolation facilities, water recirculation technologies, water quality testing and molecular lab capabilities provide a solid foundation for a variety of aquatic and aquaponic-based research. Our ability to carry out diverse research for the benefit of industry has allowed us to specialize in aquaponics as an example of an integrated self-sustainable food production system based on an ecosystem approach, the culture of both warm and cool-water fish, and other areas of research, including biofiltration and organoleptic studies.

CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION

The 10,000-square-foot greenhouse at Lethbridge College integrates with the existing Aquaculture Centre of Excellence. The team in the Centre for Sustainable Food Production works with industry to develop innovative technologies that convert manure and other wastes into highly efficient, soluble fertilizers; to improve the delivery of soluble fertilizers by optimizing fertigation systems; to improve organic crop production through optimized pest management; and to maximize greenhouse production through aquaponics.

MUELLER APPLIED RESEARCH CHAIR IN IRRIGATION SCIENCE

The Mueller Applied Research Chair in Irrigation Science team works closely with industry partners, agricultural producers, and producer associations on a range of projects including monitoring soil dynamics in fields using different irrigation methods and investigating how technologies and software can enable more sophisticated water management on farms.

ADVANCED POST HARVEST TECHNOLOGY

The team in the Advanced Post-Harvest Technology addresses the gap in post-harvest handling and storage of produce and grains. They are developing postharvest engineering solutions using advancements in sensing, automation, IoT, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, hyperspectral imaging and mathematical modeling.

Research services

The Integrated Agriculture Technology Centre (IATC) office is located on Lethbridge College’s campus in the Trades, Technology and Innovation Facility. Our research and development services take place across campus in state-of-the art facilities. The Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE) features a biosecure isolation facility, water recirculation equipment, water quality testing equipment, and a molecular laboratory. It also includes an existing 3,000-square-foot greenhouse. The Centre for Sustainable Food Production resides in a 10,000-square-foot research greenhouse. Lethbridge College also features a microbiology lab, chemistry lab, organoleptics lab, and an Innovation Space designed to foster collaborative research with industry.

Sectors of application
  • Agriculture, animal science and food
  • Clean technology
  • Environmental technologies and related services
  • Fisheries and aquaculture
Specialized Lab Equipment Function
ACE Research Laboratory Beckman Coulter Multisizer 4e Coulter Counter Particle count in liquids
ACE Research Laboratory Beckman Coulter LS 13 320 Particle Size Analyzer Particle size spectrum