TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018  Lethbridge Herald – Page 4


TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018  Lethbridge Herald – Page 5


All roads lead to Lethbridge College


Mandy Gabruch


Before she became the sole instructor of Lethbridge College’s new Agricultural Enterprise Management program, Mandy Gabruch spent nearly 20 years in school as a student. But come this fall 2018 when she steps into the classroom at Lethbridge College, it’ll be as the leader, not the learner.


Growing up on a cattle ranch near the small town of Consul, Sask., Gabruch had an interest in agriculture from an early age. But it was the BSE crisis of 2003 that drew her to the business of agriculture. Gabruch’s parents raise commercial angus-cross cattle, so when the borders closed to Canadian beef, her family was directly affected.


“I was a kid at the time and I really


didn’t understand why the prices had fallen and what effect it would have on my family and neighbours,” says Gabruch. “I didn’t really get it – but I wanted to.”


And that desire to “get it” – to understand the why of what was happening – spurred a clear vision of the future, one that led to undergraduate and graduate degrees in Agricultural Economics at the University of Saskatchewan, and, this fall, to work as an instructor in Lethbridge College’s new program. It has not been an easy task building an entire program from the ground up, but Gabruch has met the challenge with optimism. She has focused on developing courses that are flexible enough to incorporate current trends and issues down the road while still delivering the foundational knowledge students can build on when they enter the industry.


While the fall 2018 semester is still months away, Gabruch is eagerly anticipating the start of classes and has this advice for anyone interested in the new Agricultural Enterprise Management program, “People tend to think agriculture is just farming, but it’s so much more than that. There are tons of job opportunities, whether you want to work out in the field, work with people or crunch the numbers – there is really something for everyone in agriculture. And it’s a great industry to be part of.”


Whether coming from across the city or across the globe, the diverse routes that lead the way to Lethbridge College have always been about the journey, not the destination.


Some of us literally come from down the street. Some of us come from the other side of the world. However we get here and however long it takes, we know the journey is worthwhile. This special section showcases the inspiring stories of four people who are dedicated to providing and supporting hands-on, engaging and immersive education – the kind Lethbridge College is committed to providing as it prepares students for the actual workforce and the careers of their dreams.


Clair Fitzpatrick


Clair Fitzpatrick’s path to teaching in the Agriculture Sciences program at Lethbridge College started on the rodeo circuit.


Fitzpatrick, who grew up in a ranching and farming family in Wood Mountain, Sask., competed in rodeo throughout high school, winning university scholarships thanks to his skill in saddle bronc riding. “Then the worst, and perhaps oddly, the best thing happened while I was competing on the rodeo team at Dickinson State University in North Dakota,” he says. “I suffered a serious injury and I had to basically take a year away from the sport and really decide what’s more important – the rodeo or the education – and I stuck with going to school.”


Fitzpatrick went on to earn his Master of Science in Animal and Range Sciences from North Dakota State University, and then started working as a research agrologist for Alberta Agriculture for six years before moving on to do environmental work for private industry in the oil patch. Last summer, ready for another change, he applied for a job as an instructor at the college. While the new job has come with some nerves, he reminds himself regularly of the words a colleague told him early on – that “basically you’re working with and teaching younger versions of yourself.”


There is so much to distinguish the program where he now finds himself teaching – including important agricultural partnerships with direct production and industry services. “Our plant majors go out to see operations at 19 different operations, and our animal majors go out to 13,” says Fitzpatrick. “Those experiences are the things that keep the students engaged, and when we talk about it later in the semester – that’s what they recall, when they were on the farm or in the field.”


Danielle Crawford


It was a bad day at the restaurant where Danielle Crawford had worked for 15 years that led her to Lethbridge College.


Nick Savidov


From Moscow to Alberta, basic scientist to applied researcher, aquaponics skeptic to champion, Dr. Nick Savidov has proven adept at navigating changing circumstances to end up right where he wants to be.


“I think about myself as an extremely lucky person,” says the garrulous senior aquaponics research scientist with Lethbridge College’s Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE). “I’m doing what I like most in my life and if I can help people solve their problems, that is one of the most satisfying activities I can imagine.”


Under Savidov, ACE has expanded its connections with industry, including greenhouse growers and aquaculture operations like Current Prairie Fisherman, a massive fish-farm in Nobleford that has constructed one of the largest aquaponics facilities in the country. Recently, the college was awarded a new $50,000 grant through a joint Campus Alberta Small Business Engagement/ NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) funding program to work with Aqua Terra Farms in Okotoks to develop a biochar filtration system to remove impurities in the water called total suspended solids.


Savidov’s obvious enthusiasm and vision for the potential of the method has earned him a reputation as a sort of aquaponics guru with a vision of making Lethbridge College a national hub for aquaponics training and education.


“Basically, I said I am so done and over the drama that comes with working in a restaurant,” she recalls. “It was 2013. I was almost 30 and starting to think about my life and decided to bite the bullet and apply for the Environmental Assessment and Restoration program at the college.”


What she found was a perfect fit – one that led to a diploma, a degree and now, with the support of the college, graduate studies and the career of her dreams. During her time in the college’s new bachelor of applied science degree in Ecosystem Management program, where she also worked as a research assistant with Dr. Willemijn Appels, the Mueller Applied Research Chair in Irrigation Science, Crawford got to do real hands-on research – and was encouraged to apply for a master’s degree program at Dalhousie University. She started her classes there earlier this month with the support of an NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Discovery Grant.


“When I started at the college, I assumed I’d get my diploma and a


decent job in the oil patch, making good money and then would be done,” she says. “Instead I am getting a master’s degree, which is one of those things I wished for but never thought would happen. I’m pretty excited to start the graduate level stuff and to be a part of that academic community.”


Agriculture Sciences College programs Agricultural Enterprise Management – NEW PROGRAM


Whether you’ve grown up in the agriculture industry or you’ve always wanted to make a difference in the future of food production and processing, Agricultural Enterprise Management is the program for you. When you complete our two- year diploma program, you’ll be ready to start your agribusiness career in:


• food production management • supply chain management • commodity merchandising • agriculture sales and marketing • agriculture-related policy and regulation • agricultural operations management


Ecosystem Management Aquaponics


The Aquaculture Centre of Excellence is meeting the demand for quality applied research into aquaculture practices specifically adapted to northern geographical locations. Our greenhouse operations, biosecure isolation facilities, water recirculation technologies, and water quality testing and molecular lab capabilities provide a solid foundation for a variety of aquatic-based research, particularly in:


• aquaculture • aquaponics • aquatic ecosystem health • water quality • water conservation • waste management


Make the forests, mountaintops and fields your future workplace by building on your environmental sciences diploma in the Ecosystem Management – Bachelor of Applied Science degree program. After graduation, you’ll be in demand with this unique degree and ready to hit the trails in positions such as:


• resource, fish and wildlife technologist • habitat specialist • reclamation specialist • assistant/associate agrologist/biologist • resource/environmental manager


Interested in the science of agriculture? With the ability to specialize in plant and soil or animal science and plenty of theoretical and hands-on training, the Agriculture Sciences program is the place to start. When you graduate, you’ll be equipped with experience and ready to go on day one in roles such as:


• agriculture researcher • farmer / rancher • sales consultant • agriculture production specialist • food quality control specialist


Apply today at lethbridgecollege.ca 403.320.3202


info@lethbridgecollege.ca


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