Agriculture - AA

The historical development of modern-day U.S. agriculture, projected trends with implications for the future; orientation to the curriculum, faculty and programs; appreciation of the basic sciences in professional agriculture.

Basic principles which apply to the broad field of animal agriculture; survey of the industry; types, purposes and products of livestock; principles of breeding, selection, nutrition, lactation, reproduction, management and marketing.

Principles of production of economic plants, including morphology, taxonomy, physiology, ecology, propagation, preservation, storage and utilization.

Economic principles and their application to the solution of problems encountered in the operation of farms and agri-business firms as well as problems of the agricultural industry in its relationship to other sectors of the economy.

Evaluation of breeding livestock along with any appropriate performance data and market livestock data including a comparison of live animals and the resulting carcass.

Chemical, physical and biological properties of soils; their formation, fertility and management.

Elementary principles of comparative nutrition of farm animals.
Pre-Reqs: CH101 General Chemistry, or CH105 Chemistry I

Guidelines for feeding beef cattle, sheep and swine; feed stuff evaluation; nutrient requirements; ration formulation and practical feeding problems.

Fundamental ecological principles of production, conservation and utilization of grasslands; applications of principles to range management practices.

Basic facts, principles and problems of economics: determination of supply, demand and price level; the monetary and banking system, inflation and growth; the stock market and principles of economic development; other economic systems.

Experiences designed to help with the transition into college life; exploration of essential techniques for success as a college student.

Essentials of composition. Emphasis is placed on practice in writing expository paragraphs and themes and in using the techniques of research. Selected readings for models and criticism are used.
Pre-Reqs: ACT English Score of 20 to 36, or Accuplacer Writing Score of 69 to 120

Development of critical reading and writing skills, through the exploration of literary texts in thematic units, with additional emphasis on research and persuasive writing.
Pre-Reqs: EN101 English Composition IA with a grade of C or higher, or EN100 English Comp IB with a grade of C or higher

Microcomputer applications for agriculture including hardware, software, system software, word processing, spreadsheets and specific agriculture programs.

Principles and practices of oral communication that will help the student develop skills in communication and acquire an understanding of oral communication as a vital human skill and activity.