AECL 2100 Integrated Resource Management

This is a capstone course designed to integrate farm and ranch management skills into the day to day farming/ranching practices. Students are required to develop a farm/ranch management plan which encompasses farm/ranch resource inventory, strategic planning, strategies, and tax liability management. In addition, incorporated into the plan are grazing and forage management, cropping systems, marketing, and human resource management strategies. The plan will be evaluated by industry experts. Prerequisites: Completion of ANSC 1010, AGEC 2020, REWM 2000 or AECL 1000 or SOIL 2010. (3 lect.)

Credits

3 credits

Transfer Status

Transferable to UW.

Major Topics

  • Farm and Ranch resource inventory
  • Business strategic planning
  • Financial feasibility analysis
  • Enterprise analysis
  • Farm cash flow budgeting
  • Agricultural finance
  • Grazing and forage management
  • Cropping systems
  • Livestock management
  • Risk management strategies
  • Farm and ranch product marketing strategies
  • Tax liability management
  • Human resource management
  • Personal career development/workplace readiness

Outcomes

In order to successfully complete this course, the student will:

1. Create an inventory of farm or ranch resources and define the alternative uses for these resources.

2. Analyze existing farm or ranch enterprises and perform financial feasibility analysis on propose enterprises or changes to existing enterprises.

3. Develop realistic annual cash flow budgets for multiple years.

4. Identify agricultural finance options and costs of finance.

5. Develop range management goals and a grazing management plan.

6. Develop soil management goals and a crop rotation plan.

7. Develop a livestock management plan including the following components: genetics, production benchmarks, and marketing.

8. Design a comprehensive marketing plan for multiple farm and ranch products including risk management strategies.

9. Describe the unique aspects of the tax code for agriculture.

10. Summarize human resource management practices for farm/ranch operation and identify associated laws related to farm/ranch operation.

11. Develop a resume, interview skills and communication skills necessary to obtain a position in farm or ranch management.

12. Develop a whole farm/ranch business plan and present it to a panel of industry experts for evaluation.