I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Introduction to Precision Agriculture

2. Course Prefix & Number:
AGRO 1104

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

Internship Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This course is an entry level introduction to the principles of precision agriculture. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of precision ag technologies and their application in agriculture.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

No placement tests required

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

PAET1100: Intro Precision Agriculture – 3 Credits – Northland Community and Technical College, PAG 115 Introduction to Precision Agriculture – 2 Credits – North Dakota State University, AGRO 390 Intro to Precision Agriculture – 3 Credits – Southwest Minnesota State University

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Agronomy Diploma

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Present to fellow classmates on technology that is currently being used in the field of precision ag.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Identify current technology that can be utilized in production agriculture as a precision management tool.
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals	Work as a group to do a cost-analysis of integrating a precision management tool into a crop system.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Define precision agriculture;
• Document precision ag in livestock and crop production;
• Define global position system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS);
• Identify how sensors are integrated into farming operations;
• Utilize research farm to demonstrate precision ag in the field;
• Analyze how precision ag affects farm economics;
• Describe variable rate technology (VRT) and its applications in agriculture;
• Identify opportunities for drones in agriculture; and
• Recognize the different management and data storage platforms.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Intro to Precision Ag
   • Precision agriculture
   • Advances made in precision agriculture
   • Possibilities of developing technologies
2. Production Applications
   • Precision ag in crop production
   • Precision ag in livestock production
   • Sensors and data collection in precision ag
3. GPS and GIS
   • GPS and GIS in terms of agricultural applications
   • Basics of GIS
   • Basics of GPS
4. Remote Sensing & Imagery
   • Satellites utilized in agricultural production
   • Normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) technology
   • Applications of local weather station data
5. Management Platforms
   • Data collection with sensors
   • Different types of software and systems
   • Data storage
   • Data utilization in management decisions
6. Mapping for Precision Ag
   • Mapping applications in precision ag
   • Yield maps creation
   • Soils maps using Web Soil Survey
7. Variable Rate Technology (VRT)
   • Variable rate technology
     • VRT Seed
     • VRT Fertilizer
     • VRT Sprayer Applications
     • VRT Irrigation Water Applications
   • Basics of VRT calibration
   • Basics of VRT maps
8. UAV Applications
   • Drones use in agriculture
   • UAV data collection and applications
   • Drone applications in the field
9. Economics of Precision Ag
   • Precision ag affects on farm management
   • Barriers of adoption of precision ag technology
   • Cost-analysis of integrating a precision ag tool