Agricultural Operations Management

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Analysis of effects of agriculture on environmental quality; emphasis on agricultural wastes and practices; potential for using agricultural systems for disposal of other wastes; effects of pollution on the agricultural environment. (P)

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts of common and statutory law. To identify and address current legal issues of importance at the personnel and professional level. To develop an understanding of risk and the solutions for managing risks. To interrelate the concepts of risk management and law in limiting exposure to legal liability.

Safety concepts, principles, practices, rules and regulations as they relate to agriculture. Developing and conducting safety programs, and conducting safety inspections and accident investigations are other aspects of the course.

Selection and use of materials, tools and equipment used in planning, estimating and repairing agricultural structures. Includes fundamentals in managing power equipment, industrial tool safety, welding technology and practical technologies applied to electrical and water utilities, and basic electrical planning and trouble shooting.

Equipment and methods used to apply pesticides in agriculture. Techniques used to avoid misapplication, a common cause of pesticide failures, are emphasized.

Basic hydrology: rainfall, intensity, depth, frequency, distribution and runoff. Conservation practices, land drainage, irrigation and management alternatives are emphasized.

Irrigation practice related to Florida agriculture. The course deals with irrigation system characteristics, management, maintenance and economics.

The functional requirements and principles of operation of systems for handling and processing food and agricultural products.

Functional requirements, operating principles, performance, safety and economic application of agricultural power units and field machines for citrus, vegetable and field crop production.

Principles and applications of technologies supporting precision farming and planning for natural resource data management. Global positioning systems (GPS), Geographic information systems (GIS), variable rate technologies (VRT), data layering of independent variables, automated guidance, Internet, information access, computer software for management.

Fundamental concepts of electricity, power, instrumentation, computer control operations and selected transducers. Foundation to aid in management of agricultural processing operations.

Quantitative and managerial techniques for management and planning of technical resources in agriculture. Applications of queuing theory, project scheduling, optimization and expert decision systems.

Effects of the environment on plant and animal production, processing operations and quality of stored produce. Selection of building materials and sizing of components of environmental systems in agricultural structures to enhance more efficient agricultural production, processing and storage.

This is a basic course in Environmental Hydrology intended for Agricultural and Natural Resource Managers. The first half of the course covers scientific principles of the hydrologic cycle while, the second half investigates case studies of current water quality and water management issues.

Selected problems or projects in the student’s major field of mechanized study.

An individual special project course restricted to students in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences’ Honors Program. Students will complete a project on a selected topic, issue or problem. Projects may relate to research, teaching or extension. The project will be reviewed by at least two faculty members chosen by the honors coordinator.

Variable content providing for the study of mechanized agriculture topics not offered in other courses.

Professionalism and interfacing of technical skills. Topics include ethics, continuing education, placement skills and professional development in Agricultural Operations Management.