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COURSE DESCRIPTION
AGSC 490/491 is the capstone course for Agricultural Science. Students will work collaboratively with faculty and other students to plan, develop, and execute an agricultural production enterprise (agronomic, horticultural or animal-related). Successful completion requires student teams to work together to solve problems by drawing on their collective experience and knowledge of plant science, soil science, animal science, and agricultural business and marketing.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objectives of AGSC 490/491 are as follows:
- to develop the skills of leadership, collaboration and life-long learning;
- to further instill in all Agricultural Science majors
- the ability to solve problems;
- an understanding of the complexity of management;
- an awareness of frugality, self-reliance, and responsibility; and
- further understanding of the operation and values of the democratic society in which we live;
- to further promote the development of communication skills;
- to foster a greater understanding of the scientific method and the application of science to solve problems;
- and, perhaps most importantly, to provide an experience that forces Agricultural Science majors to draw upon the entirety of their academic training (in the liberal arts, in the discipline and in their areas of specialization) in a realistic and practical setting to accomplish some pre-agreed upon goals and objectives.
Students enrolled in AGSC 490/491 must have either successfully completed all 100-, 200-, and 300-level Agricultural Science core courses or be concurrently enrolled in those they lack.
COURSE FACULTY
Each semester one Agricultural Science faculty member will be designated as the “Practicum Advisor”; the Practicum Advisor is responsible for all course decisions and is the first point of contact for all students enrolled in the course; the Practicum Advisor is also responsible for assigning semester grades to course enrollees. The other Agricultural Science faculty serve as a) sources of information, b) additional advisors, c) encouragers, and d) individuals interested in the successful completion of each year’s project. In the absence of a legitimate and sufficiently challenging project proposal by the course enrollees, the Practicum Advisor may propose to the group an alternate project and require its adoption if more suitable for the stated course outcomes and objectives.
COURSE OUTLINE
Varies with semester.
ACTIVITIES
- Lecture/discussion: Provides an opportunity for the Practicum Advisor to make presentations regarding skills and issues related to farm management and farm operation in today’s agricultural world. Additionally, provides for group discussions on topics affecting agriculture and the cohort-chosen and designed project;
- Laboratory: Provides an opportunity for students to obtain information, observe University Farm operations when appropriate, learn and hone teamwork and leadership skills as they work as a team and in their committees to address and solve problems encountered with the project. May also represent a time when the class may take field trips to visit local producers to talk with them about the chosen project.
- Committee meetings will generally occur during the laboratory periods but may occur “after hours” or on the weekends as necessary.
- Business meetings will also generally occur during the laboratory periods and are a time when the committee of the whole may make decisions regarding their project.
- A mandatory Northeast Missouri Farm Tour of a) local CSAs, organic farming operations, small livestock producers, or others attempting sustainable agriculture production, and b) more traditional farming operations such as grain farms, livestock producers, or others as available. A day-long trip. (AGSC 490 only).
- Annual University Farm Field Day. Much of the Agricultural Science faculty’s desire to create this course derives from our wish to showcase the talented and creative students involved in our program and to encourage those students to be Agricultural Science ambassadors to the general public. We could perhaps describe this best by saying that our students are to become temporary outreach and extension representatives of the Agricultural Science discipline at Truman State University. Outreach and extension will be accomplished in the Fall with the Northeast Missouri Farm Tour (AGSC 490). The University Farm Field Day will serve this purpose in the Spring and is to be an event planned and executed by the students enrolled in AGSC 491. Both of these service learning projects represent an opportunity for our students to give of themselves to the discipline, the University, and the community.
- Strategic Plan: The strategic plan is to be exactly that: a plan that includes goals and strategies for the project that the group chooses to execute. For a business to succeed (or, in this case, the project), clear goals must be articulated in written form. It has been said that if you plan to do nothing then that’s what you’ll accomplish. The Strategic Plan is an assignment that will be done as a group and will involve research to determine the true feasibility of a business enterprise focused on the project idea that the group chooses to execute. More will be said of this project throughout the semester.
- University Farm Experiential Internship: The Experiential Internship is intended to provide every AGSC 490/491 student with on-the-farm experiences that are critical to helping the student make connections between the academic and practical arenas. The Farm Manager will coordinate the Experiential Internship program and may choose to have the entire AGSC 490/491 class work on a single project (such as the building of fencing) or on multiple smaller projects (such as erosion control projects in multiple locations on the Farm). Each student enrolled in AGSC 490/491 must complete 10 hours of Experiential Internship at the University Farm (10 hours in the Fall and 10 hours in the Spring). Some hours may be fulfilled during the 2 hour Thursday class period, at the discretion of the Farm Manager. The Farm Manager will maintain documentation as necessary to track student effort (i.e., the Farm Manager may maintain time cards for this purpose).
- Final Report (group project): The Final Report is intended to represent a blueprint for the succeeding generation (actually, next semester or next year) of AGSC 490/491 students. It is meant to be reflective in that students will think back over the course of the project to consider those things that were done well and those things that should have been done differently. The Final Report is to also be forward-looking in that it should lay out a plan for the succeeding semester (as would be the case in the Fall) or for any AGSC 490/491 cohort who may choose to do a project of similar scope and type at any time in the future (as would be the case in the Spring).
- Service to Agricultural Science, Science Division, Truman, and the Kirksville community: Northeast Missouri Farm Tour (AGSC 490, Fall only) and the student-organized and run Field Day at the University Farm (Spring, AGSC 491 only).
- Class Coordinator: This person is elected by the class and provides leadership, presides over business meetings, and acts as a liaison between the class and the Practicum Advisor. This is a pivotal position and students choosing to run for the position – and students voting on the candidates for the position – should take their responsibilities seriously.
- Assistant Class Coordinator: This person is elected by the class and assists the Class Coordinator and presides over business meetings in the absence of the Class Coordinator.
- Class Secretary: This officer is responsible for recording and maintaining minutes of all class business meetings and Executive Committee meetings. The Class Secretary is also an elective office.
- Class Historian: An elected officer, this person is responsible for keeping the class historical records up-to-date, including the taking of pictures, maintenance of files of magazine or newspaper clippings, and important class records and handout materials. Must serve on the PR committee also.
- Committees: Each committee shall have its own chair, elected by the members of the committee. Each class
officer must serve on a committee but cannot be Chair of the committee on which they serve. Committee chairs
may act as a liaison between the committee and the Class Coordinator, or may approach the Practicum Advisor
with concerns or other information pertinent to the project. While committees will vary with the project,
the minimum required is outlined below:
- Marketing Committee: Charged with the responsibility of determining the best marketing strategy for whatever commodity or product is to be produced as the endpoint of the project.
- Supplies and Materiel Committee: Works with the Course Coordinator, the Practicum Advisor, and the Farm Manager to ensure that the appropriate resources are in place for the execution of the project.
- Public Relations Committee: Coordinate, among other things, a) promotional activities on campus and in the local and regional community to elevate awareness of this uniquely designed course, b) the Annual University Farm Field Day held each spring, c) the maintenance of a course web site to be accessible from Agricultural Science’s web page;
- Other committees will be formed as required by the specific project chosen by the class; may include committees such as a Nutrition and Feeding Committee, Animal or Plant Health Committee, Equipment and Tillage Committee, etc.
| Item | Points Possible |
| Participation and attendence | 15% |
| Peer grade | 20% |
| Final exam | 15% |
| Strategic plan (group project) | 15% |
| University Farm Experiential Internship | 15% |
| Service learning component: University Farm Field Day | 0% |
| Final report (group project) | 20% |