Agricultural Economics (AGEC)

AGEC 141. Introduction to Agribusiness Management

Credits: 2
Typically Offered: SPRING
This is an introduction to the economic importance of the agribusiness community and the potential for employment with the agribusiness industry.

AGEC 242. Introduction to Agricultural Management

Credits: 3
Prerequisite: AGEC 246.
Typically Offered: FALL
Economic and managerial concepts related to farm or agribusiness production process, development of cost data, enterprise analysis, organization and management of production inputs.

AGEC 244. Introduction to Agricultural Marketing

Credits: 3
Typically Offered: SPRING
A study of the agricultural marketing system to include cash marketing, commodity futures trading, branded products merchandising and the interrelationship of the government and international trade.

AGEC 246. Introduction to Agricultural Finance

Credits: 3
Typically Offered: SPRING
Introduction to agricultural finance; provides background in farm and agribusiness credit use and evaluation. Discussion of specific financial conditions on farms and in agribusiness.

AGEC 250. AgriSales

Credits: 3
Typically Offered: SPRING
The principles of salesmanship applied to the agricultural business. Topics include attitudes and value systems, basic behavioral patterns, relationship of sales to marketing, selling strategies, preparing for sales calls, making sales presentations, and closing sales.

AGEC 251. Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship

Credits: 2
Prerequisite: AGEC 141.
Typically Offered: SPRING
Course includes advanced concepts in developing agribusiness, marketing plans, applied management principles and is designed to give students a background in the decision-making process and day-to-day financial management skills required to effectively operate a business. Specific course objectives include exploring various business types, economics, marketing, business planning management, business communications, along with ethics & social responsibility. Students will develop a business plan where they will learn about financing, recordkeeping, accounting, staffing, taxes and government regulations (all necessary for the protection of their businesses).

AGEC 252. Farm Management Seminar

Credits: 3
Prerequisite: AGEC 246.
Corequisite: Concurrent registration in, or previous successful completion of, AGEC 242.
Typically Offered: FALL
Analysis of the farm as a business using fundamental economic and managerial concepts. Data used in analysis will be specific to the student's background. Topics will include: the role of budgeting, whole farm planning, forms of farm business organization, and succession planning.

AGEC 274. Cooperative Business Model

Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ECON 201.
Typically Offered: SPRING
This course is intended to introduce students to cooperatives as a form of business enterprise. Cooperatives are important in many segments of the economy, both in the U.S. and elsewhere. Students will learn the role of cooperatives in market oriented economies like the U.S. and will become familiar with cooperative principles, the economic theory of cooperatives, and the fundamentals of co-op operations including accounting principles, financing, decision making and taxation. Focus will be primarily on traditional agricultural cooperatives; however, other types of cooperatives will be examined in some detail during the second half of the course.