I. General Information

1. Course Title:
International/Global Agriculture

2. Course Prefix & Number:
AGRO 1134

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This course introduces students to the diverse characteristics of world agriculture. This course focuses on the similarities and differences in agriculture nationally and internationally and how that affects supply, demand, markets and trade.

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:

AGRY28500 World Crop Adaptation and Distribution – 3 Credits – Purdue University, AGRON 180 Global Agriculture in a Changing World – 3 Credits – Iowa 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	Create a flow-chart of an agricultural commodity from start to finish. (Ex. Corn – Seed production to end user)
Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills	Attend local farm group meeting and document discussion topics.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Analyze how different nationalities manage farming operations and food production

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

• Identify staple crops grown around the world;
• Compare farming practices nationally and internationally;
• Define how supply, demand, trade and markets are all related;
• Document how tariffs affect imports and exports;
• Understand factors that change demand;
• Classify end users of local agricultural commodities;
• Identify factors that affect assessing and estimating yield;
• Understand the role farm groups locally, nationally, and internationally; and
• Define free market production vs. quota system.

V. Topical Outline

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

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Staple Foods
• Locally grown food or crops
• National and international food sources (Potatoes/Cotton/Rice/Dairy/Chickens/Hogs/Sea Food)
• Limitations of production of region-specific crops
• Foreign countries that grow similar crops as Minnesota
2. Farming Practices Regional vs. National vs. Global
• Climate affects on farming practices (Double Cropping/no-till/conventional)
• Water rights (Minnesota vs. other states vs. foreign countries)
• Differences among countries
• Modernization vs. Traditional
• Technology Advancements
• Labor forces
3. Supply
• Varying growing seasons among states and countries
• Vertically integrated agriculture
• Difference between quota system and free market
• Lag times to next marketable output
• Livestock – Beef 14 months – Hogs 6 months – Chickens 6 to 8 weeks
• Crop Production
• Specialty Crops
• Transportation cost and deliver methods
4. Demand
• End users of local agricultural commodities
• Livestock production
• Ethanol/Biofuels
• Commercial food processing
• Demand trendlines in agricultural commodities
• Demand changes seasonally
• changing behaviors/traditions affect on demand
5. Markets
• End user affects on the basis price
• supply and demand affect on markets
• Market assessments and forecasting
• USDA Reports
• Planted acres
• Crop condition
• Yield estimates
• Weather monitoring
• Bullish vs. bearish markets/investors
• Other traded commodities affects on agricultural prices (Ex. Oil)
6. Trade
• Effects of tariffs on imports & exports
• US trade agreements
• Other major trade agreements among foreign countries
7. Farm Groups
• Role of local, state, and national farm groups
• Local farm groups – CMIC/Farm Bureau/Corn Growers
• Farm groups lobby for agriculture nationally and internationally
8. Initiatives/Food cost
• Targets of the “Zero Hunger” sustainable development goal initiated by the UN
• MN’s Forever Green Initiative
• Food cost per country
• Estimated food waste per country