Agriculture Technology and Design Club students gain hands-on learning and career skills while improving agricultural technology
As an engineer with a farming background, Evan Bennett knew that when he started applying to universities, there was really only one school on his mind.
“A lot of people from our area choose the University of Guelph because it’s got that great agricultural reputation,” he says. “My dad is a Guelph grad and he said, ‘That’s where you want to be.’”
A fifth-year mechanical engineer in the co-op program, Bennett’s interests found the perfect intersection in the Agriculture Technology and Design Club. Founded in 2019, the club offers a space for students across colleges to come together to develop, design and build innovative projects aimed at improving the ag-tech industry.
Canada has the potential to become a global leader in food production, but many have noted that innovation is lagging. Student clubs like this one, guided by the expertise of U of G faculty, play a vital role in shaping the next generation of ag-tech leaders.
Bennett joined the club in his second year and now leads the team as they prepare to head into competition season. They’ll compete in two international events this spring: the International Quarter Scale (IQS) Tractor Student Design Competition, where they’ll compete in self-built tractors, and Baja SAE, a competition featuring off-road vehicles.
“The competitions are performance-based,” Bennett explains. “There are three major IQS events: pulling, maneuverability and durability, and also a marketing component.”
Club offers experiential learning
For the IQS competition, the engine and rear tires are provided by the organizers. The rest is up to the students to source, design and build.
“It’s giving our members experience with hands-on activities,” Bennett says. “We have research labs in our classes where we get to work on smaller projects, but this challenges us to build a tractor in just a few months.”
Dr. David Lubitz, professor in the College of Engineering and the club’s faculty advisor, is impressed with the initiative shown by the team’s leaders.
“They have ambition,” he says. “They want to compete. They want to win.”
Lubitz notes the club now has an advisory board to set up students like Bennett for future success. That group is actively recruiting new members, growing the team from about 10 students to more than 50.
“There’s a recognition that the club and the success is about more than just building a tractor,” Lubitz says. “It’s about bringing people together.”
Connections for agriculture, engineering, marketing students
As Bennett looks ahead to his career, he says the club has laid the foundation for success outside of post-secondary.
“It has given me a crazy number of opportunities in every aspect of my life,” he says. “Whether it’s meeting different people in industry or just experiencing different challenges that come up in the club, it’s been a great experience.”
Bennett even found his co-op position through club connections, a theme he’s noticed as he networks with more people in the industry.
“A lot of the reps at competition say, ‘I got hired through this competition and now I’m here again hoping to hire more people,’” Bennett says.
The club has a 60/40 split of engineering and agriculture students and is now actively recruiting marketing and business students to help develop business plans and recruit sponsors. Bennett and Lubitz agree that U of G is the perfect setting for a club like this.
“No place does this as well as Guelph,” Lubitz says.
“There’s such a long agricultural history and a huge network of people connected to agriculture, both in current students and U of G grads.”
While the club is focused on developing their vehicles for spring competitions, Bennett encourages anyone with an idea or product they’d like to develop to consider joining.
“We’d love to see new ideas,” he says. “There are so many opportunities in agriculture-technology, like feeding systems and robotics.”
The club is open to all undergraduate students. Anyone interested in joining can learn more on the Agriculture Technology and Design Club website.