AE 450 - Student Managed Farm II

3 Credits
Outline Effective Date: 2024 Fall Version #25
Revised: Aug 22, 2024 Approved: Aug 25, 2024

Practicum Hours: 140

Course Description:
Students integrate and apply the techniques of management in an actual operating crop farm enterprise. Students learn these techniques in a business environment by participating in the management of the Lakeland College Student Managed Farm.

Rationale:
This is a required course for Crop Technology students. Although it is useful to break learning down into specialized areas, there comes a time when it is necessary to put the pieces together. This course brings all your knowledge and experience from previous courses and life experiences to the business of managing a farm.

Prerequisites: All first year courses
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to

Participate in the management and daily operations of the Lakeland College Farm.
- Adhere to all Lakeland College SOP’s, biosecurity protocols and federal and provincial regulations.
Communicate to build and maintain relationships within the SMF partners and industry.
Make decisions to ensure the long-term viability of the Lakeland College Farm via:
- Production data informed decision making
- Economic (market and financial) factors
- An understanding of complex dynamic environment
Present the Harvest report in a professional manner to industry and community
- Evaluate decisions made by current and past SMF Teams/Units
- Recommend future actions
- Justify decisions made by the SMF Team/Unit

Required Resource Materials:
None

Optional Resource Materials:
None

Conduct of Course:
Students in this course participate in the operations and management of the Lakeland College Student Managed Farm.

Each student in this course belongs to a Management Activity Team. Within those teams a student has one of the following roles: General Manager (Executive Team), Assistant Manager (Executive Team), Public Relations/Communications Coordinator (Executive Team), Project Manager (Executive Team), Team Managers and Team Members. Each student participates in one of the roles throughout the course. The Manager, Assistant Manager, Public Relations/Communications Coordinators and Team Manager positions are filled through a recruitment process; students apply for these positions. Other second year students serve in a team position.

The Seven Management Teams are Executive, Analysis, Marketing, Finance, Production, Crop Demo, Mixed Farm

The class as a whole has regular business meetings. Teams and Groups meet as necessary to carry out their duties. Management Teams are directed by the course advisors (instructors).

Specific requirements for managing the farm are given each year.

Attendance

Classroom and laboratory attendance is considered vital to the learning process and as significant to the students’ evaluation as examinations and reports.

Students having a combination of excused and/or unexcused absence of 20 percent or higher for the scheduled course hours will be required to withdraw and will automatically receive a “RW” (required withdrawal) for the course, regardless of any other evaluation results. (RW is a failing grade.)
An excused absence is one that is verified with your instructor. Verification should be prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence. Verification of the absence may take the form of a note from your doctor/College nurse regarding illness, or a note from another instructor regarding a field trip or other activity, or authorization by your instructor. An unexcused absence is anything NOT verified by the instructor prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence.

NOTE: Any exceptions to the above attendance policy (e.g. timetable conflicts, work-related issues) must be approved in writing by the Department Chair prior to the beginning of the course.

It is the students’ responsibility to know their own absentee record.

Normal hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with potential for evening courses, exams or extended field trips. Students are expected to be available for classes during these times.

Content of Course:

Farm work as required.
Update records into field, record-keeping software.
Analyze previous crop year performance relative to budget forecasted.
Make decisions regarding next year’s cropping plan.
Prepare market and financial reports including next year budget forecast.
Present market and financial information.
Prepare a Demonstration project to be carried out during the growing season
Plan a demo for 1^st year students to attend

Course Assessments:

Peer Evaluation by Group and Team members Evaluation:	20%
General Meeting Presentations	14%
Goals Setting to be set with advisor Plan for Achievement16 Progress Reports (4)12 Achievement of Goals8	36%
Harvest Event Presentation	20%
Work Hours	10%
Total	100%

The details of the evaluation procedure differ depending on student roles.

The accumulated percentage from the above evaluations is converted to a grade according to the following grid.

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course.

Letter	F	D	D+	C-	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A	A+
Percent Range	0-49	50-52	53-56	57-59	60-64	65-69	70-74	75-79	80-84	85-89	90-94	95-100
Points	0.00	1.00	1.30	1.70	2.00	2.30	2.70	3.00	3.30	3.70	4.00	4.00

Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) in order to qualify to graduate.

Every effort has been made to ensure that information in this course outline is accurate at the time of publication. Lakeland College reserves the right to change courses if it becomes necessary so that course content remains relevant.

In such cases, the instructor will give students clear and timely notice of changes.

No part of this course outline may be reproduced in any form or resold without written permission from Lakeland College.

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5707 College Drive, Vermilion, Alberta, Canada T9X 1K5. Ph: 780 853 8400
Toll-free in Canada: 1 800 661 6490 E-mail: admissions@lakelandcollege.ca

Here at Lakeland College, we acknowledge that the land we gather on is the traditional homeland, hunting, and ceremonial gathering places of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux people have practiced their culture and languages on Treaty 6 and Métis Region 2 territories for generations and were the original caretakers of this land. Many First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples call this land home today and have done so for millennia. We would like to acknowledge the history we have created together on this land, and to be thankful for the opportunity to walk together side-by-side in friendship, learning from our past, and promoting positive relationships for the past, present and future.