Olds College of Agriculture & Technology

Our History

• The Olds College campus is a historical landmark. In the year 1911, Olds College was operating as a provincially funded demonstration farm.
• It was on November 21, 1913, when it opened as the Old School of Agriculture and Home Economics, with W.J. Elliot as the principal.
• Students studied field husbandry, farm mechanics, and domestic science.
• Traditional roles were followed, as men took agriculture, mechanics, blacksmithing, and science courses, and women took courses on sewing, food preparation, and managing the home.
• The College was nearly self-sufficient at the time thanks to the growth and sale of vegetables, grain, livestock, and excess processed food.
• Since its beginning as an agricultural and home economics school, Olds College has expanded its program offerings and has grown to offer more career-focused programs over the years.
• Cooking and sewing classes evolved into our renowned Fashion program, machinery classes have grown to become Agricultural and Heavy Duty Mechanics programs, and farming skills as evolved into our Agriculture Management and Horticulture programs.
• We continue to evolve today as we move forward in our applied research and expand our course offerings to include modern technologies and concepts including precision farming, smart agriculture, and harnessing big data.