AGSY 440 - Advanced Cropping Systems I

Credits: 5
LEC hours per week: 5
Students will apply advanced concepts in agronomic crop production at the local, national, and international scale. Contemporary topics in agriculture will be examined with a focus on social, economic, and ecologic sustainability and production efficiencies. Knowledge from prior coursework will be applied to allow the student to explore multi-faceted solutions to modern challenges in diverse cropping systems. Field trips/site visits will be required. Formerly: SAS 440.
Course Outcomes:

Compare local, national, and international production issues.
Identify and recommend agronomic practices that could lead to improvements in management of pests, nutrients, and water using systems-scale analysis and development of interdisciplinary solutions.
Apply prior knowledge of local, national, and international production issues to recommend possible sustainable solutions.
Discuss and analyze contemporary topics in agriculture with an emphasis on social, economic, and ecologic sustainability and production efficiencies.
Evaluate and describe local agronomic practices in the field and critique the decisions that led to implementation of these practices.

Course Topics:

Overview of factors affecting cropping systems
Moisture and temperature effects
Soils and cropping systems
Nutrient management
Tillage practices
Multiple cropping systems
Intensive cropping systems
Crop rotations
Livestock and cropping systems