Earlier this month, The Legacy Farm Project and Golden Hills School Division entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), bridging the past and future of agriculture. 

In an interview, Bruce Klaiber, Founder of The Legacy Farm Project, and Scott Silva, Director of Business Development, discussed the benefits the MOU will bring to students and community members. 

“The recent Memorandum of Understanding with GHSD will benefit youth and students in the area by providing educational opportunities, mentorship, and resources to inspire and empower future generations to pursue careers and initiatives in agriculture. This collaboration aims to accelerate education in agriculture by offering accessible learning experiences, workshops, and resources for students and professionals alike,” Klaiber said. 

The Legacy Farm Project’s educational components will benefit community members in several ways. 

Through educational opportunities, career development, community engagement, promotion of tourism, and preservation of heritage, the Legacy Farm Project aims to enhance the quality of life for community members by providing valuable educational, economic, and cultural benefits that will contribute to the prosperity and sustainability of the region. 

Together, GHSD and Legacy Farm Project created a series of goals for the collaboration, which include: 

  1. Foster Innovation: Encourage new ideas, technologies, and practices to advance the agriculture community. 
  2. Inspire Future Generations: Providing educational opportunities, mentorship, and resources that will encourage young minds to pursue careers in agriculture. 
  3. Create Sustainability: Focus on promoting sustainability within the agriculture sector by implementing and advocating for resource management and eco-friendly solutions. 
  4. Accelerate Education: Providing accessible, high-quality learning experiences. 
  5. Grow Young Minds: Aim to develop the talents and skills of young people in the agricultural environment. 
  6. Create dedicated education and culinary spaces for dual credit opportunities for high school students and create opportunities for student work experience. 

“We believe that the Legacy Farm Project will help inspire younger generations to get involved in agricultural industries by providing them with hands-on learning experiences, educational opportunities, and exposure to research and sustainable practices. Through immersion in the agricultural environment and mentorship programs, we aim to ignite a passion for agriculture and empower the next generation of agricultural leaders,” Silva said. 

The Legacy Farm Project area structure plan (ASP) was approved in early 2022, with many components already underway. 

In the ASP, Klaiber had envisioned an advanced institute of agriculture, and through the evolution of that vision, the Legacy Farm Project collaborated with GHSD to form the MOU. 

The Legacy Farm Project is looking to develop the concepts of demonstration lots, rotational grazing, conventional organic vertical farming, and more. 

After doing the groundwork for the Legacy Farm Project, Silva and Klaiber found it necessary to create an Education Board, where the specialized and specific educational components of Legacy Farm will be discussed and created. 

“We are very excited that the educational component is now in its working stages, with educational programs in beta stages by 2024 and full programming expected by 2025,” Silva said. 

The Legacy Farm Project was initially inspired by the rich agricultural history of western Canada. 

It was first born with the recognition of the significant importance of the Demonstration and Supply Farm built by the Canadian Pacific Railway and Western Irrigation District (WID) in Strathmore in 1908. 

The aim is to create a destination that celebrates and preserves heritage while inspiring future generations to get involved in agriculture. 

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