Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
Nature of the Program
Sustainable Food and Farming is the interdisciplinary study of how agricultural production of plants and animals affects and is affected by the local environment. Sustainable Food and Farming emphasizes sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to agricultural production. The Sustainable Food and Farming combines concepts of crop production with those of environmental protection to develop a balance between production and environmental issues. This major provides students the opportunity to specialize in ecological/sustainable aspects of crop production. Potential areas of employment include: farm and environmental consulting, organic farms, parks, lawn care and maintenance companies, agricultural supply companies, cooperative extension, and state and federal government support agencies.
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 36 | |
| Sustainable Food and Farming Program Requirements | 54 | |
| Sustainable Food and Farming Major Requirements | 30 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 5, 6, and 7 | 15 | |
| ANRD 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 20 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Sustainable Food and Farming Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 101 & 101L | General Biology 1 and General Biology 1 Laboratory (GEF 2) | 4 |
| BIOL 102 & 102L | General Biology 2 and General Biology 2 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 111 & 111L | Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 112 & 112L | Survey of General Organic Biological Chemistry 2 and Survey of Chemistry 2 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| MATH 124 | Algebra with Applications (GEF 3) | 3 |
| ESWS 202 & 202L | Principles of Soil Science and Principles of Soil Science Laboratory | 4 |
| ESWS 410 | Soil Fertility | 3 |
| AGRN 451 | Principles of Weed Science | 2 |
| AGRN 451L | Principles of Weed Science Laboratory | 1 |
| ARE 431 | Marketing Agricultural Products | 3 |
| ARE 150 | Introductory Agricultural and Agribusiness Economics (GEF 4) | 3 |
| A&VS 251 | Principles of Animal Science | 4 |
| A&VS 251L | Principles of Animal Science Laboratory | 0 |
| ENTO 404 | Principles of Entomology | 3 |
| ENTO 404L | Principles of Entomology Laboratory | 1 |
| ESWS 155 | Elements of Environmental Protection | 3 |
| or ESWS 119 & 119L | Soil in the City and Soil in the City Laboratory | |
| or PLSC 105 | Plants and People: Past and Present | |
| or HN&F 171 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | |
| PLSC 206 & 206L | Principles of Plant Science and Principles of Plant Science Laboratory | 4 |
| PPTH 401 | General Plant Pathology | 3 |
| PPTH 401L | General Plant Pathology Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Hours | 54 | |
Sustainable Food and Farming Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AGRN 120 | Principles of Agroecology | 3 |
| AGRN 480 | Field Methods and Case Studies in Agroecology (fulfills Writing and Communication Skills requirement) | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Insect Ecology | ||
| Organic Crop Production | ||
| Forage Crops | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Professional Field Experience | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Restricted Electives (Students may specialize in the following options if desired) | 15 | |
| Option 1: Crop Science | ||
| Turfgrass Management | ||
| Environmental Soil Management and Environmental Soil Management Laboratory | ||
| Grain and Special Crops | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Pest Management | ||
| Principles of Genetics and Principles of Genetics Laboratory | ||
| General Horticulture and General Horticulture Laboratory | ||
| Plant Propagation and Plant Propagation Laboratory | ||
| Fruit & Vegetable Crops and Vegetable Crops Laboratory | ||
| Handling and Storage of Horticultural Crops and Handling and Storage of Horticultural Crops Laboratory | ||
| Greenhouse Management and Greenhouse Management Laboratory | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Organic Crop Production | ||
| Option 2: Animal Science/Food Science and Technology | ||
| Animal Nutrition | ||
| Beef Production | ||
| Milk Production and Milk Production Laboratory | ||
| Pork Production | ||
| Small Ruminants | ||
| Poultry Production | ||
| Food Science and Technology | ||
| Food Plant Sanitation | ||
| Muscle Foods Technology | ||
| Food Microbiology | ||
| Food Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Fundamentals of Nutrition | ||
| Science of Food Preparation Laboratory | ||
| Food Service Systems Management and Food Service Systems Management Laboratory | ||
| Professional Field Experience | ||
| Option 3: Soil Health | ||
| Soil Survey and Land Use and Soil Survey and Land Use Laboratory | ||
| Soil Genesis and Classification and Soil Genesis and Classification Laboratory | ||
| Environmental Soil Management and Environmental Soil Management Laboratory | ||
| Soil Physics and Soil Physics Laboratory | ||
| Grain and Special Crops | ||
| Reclamation of Disturbed Soils | ||
| Living in a Microbial World | ||
| General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Environmental Microbiology and Environmental Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Microbes and Global Change | ||
| Option 4: Plant Health Management | ||
| Pest Management | ||
| Insect Ecology | ||
| Forest Pest Management | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Organic Crop Production | ||
| Nematology and Nematology Laboratory | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Option 5: Entrepreneurship or Ag Business | ||
| Agribusiness Accounting | ||
| Agribusiness Management | ||
| Agricultural and Natural Resources Law | ||
| New Venture Creation | ||
| Marketing Livestock Products | ||
| Agribusiness Finance | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ANRD 191 | 1 | BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 8) | 4 | ||
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ESWS 202 & 202L | 4 | ||
| MATH 124 (GEF 3) | 3 | PLSC 206 | 4 | ||
| BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2) | 4 | General Electives | 3 | ||
| AGRN 120 | 3 | ||||
| 14 | 15 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | ARE 150 (GEF 4) | 3 | ||
| CHEM 111 & 111L (GEF 8) | 4 | CHEM 112 & 112L (GEF 8) | 4 | ||
| General Electives | 6 | ESWS 119 & 119L | 3 | ||
| GEF 5 | 3 | Option course 1 | 3 | ||
| General Electives | 3 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| PPTH 401 & 401L | 4 | ARE 431 | 3 | AGRN 491 | 3 |
| A&VS 251 | 4 | Option course 2 | 3 | ||
| AGRN 451 | 2 | Option course 3 | 3 | ||
| AGRN 451L | 1 | GEF 6 | 3 | ||
| ENTO 450 | 3 | General Electives | 3 | ||
| 14 | 15 | 3 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ESWS 410 | 3 | ENTO 450, PLSC 453, or AGRN 454 | 3 | ||
| ENTO 404 | 3 | AGRN 480 | 3 | ||
| ENTO 404L | 1 | Option course 5 | 3 | ||
| Option course 4 | 3 | GEF 7 | 3 | ||
| General Electives | 3 | General Electives | 2 | ||
| 13 | 14 | ||||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||||
Major Learning Outcomes
Sustainable Food and Farming
Sustainable Food and Farming is the study of relationships among organisms and habitats in agricultural ecosystems. Climate and soil properties, activities of other organisms, and management practices affect the growth and development of plants and animals, the composition of products from them, and other processes that sustain human life and the functioning of other ecosystems. Sustainable Food and Farming extends from organisms to landscapes and connects with economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of food and agricultural systems and their impacts on the biosphere. Principles of Sustainable Food and Farming can be applied to the design and management of sustainable systems that meet human needs and provide other ecosystem services while minimizing their ecological footprint.
Upon completion of the major students should be able to:
- Develop and implement sustainable agricultural production plans and systems.
- Diagnose and solve applied production problems in ways that minimize adverse local, regional and global impacts.
- Develop and communicate recommendations to address environmental, economic, and production outcomes in agriculture.
- Characterize and solve soil potential and plant health problems.