Ag450 Farm

Got a question?

Tyler Schau
515-294-0047

Farm Manager
Greg Vogel
515-292-0742

Class Strategic Issues

 

This portion of AGEDS 450 is designed for students to work in their committees to examine and research in detail a strategic issue facing the Ag 450 farm in either the short-run or long-run. Strategic issues focus on problems that deal with all phases of the farm — crops, swine, equipment, land, labor, and other activities/resources. They are designed to be “interdisciplinary” problems where students can draw upon previous agricultural courses and apply “problem-solving” and “decision-making” techniques to an interdisciplinary problem.

Strategic issues have been identified for this semester. Each issue is quite comprehensive and will require each team to spend some time seeking information and doing some research outside of class to adequately solve the problem being worked on.

Members of the strategic issue teams will need to work together. The strategic issues have several different parts so that each team member will have an opportunity to contribute taking one of the specific questions related to the broader issue.

Students should review the strategic issue outlines as presented. The outlines discuss the strategic issue in detail including some specific questions that need to be addressed.
Issue teams will have a majority of the semester to complete their work. Written and oral reports will be given by each team on Tuesday 11/14/2006. The reports need to be long enough to adequately discuss the issue and specific questions as well as recommendations made by the issue team (minimum of 5 pages). The written report should include a bibliography of references obtained and individuals contacted for information (Works Cited).

Class time will be made available during the semester to work on strategic issues. It is anticipated that lab time and some lecture time will be available for students to work on strategic issues.

The major topics for strategic issues for this semester are:
1. Machinery – Upgrading Equipment to become more Efficient & Effective
2. Marketing – Analysis of Grain Storage Options
3. Finance – Analyze the Ag450 Farm & Define what is Profitable for Ag450
4. Swine – Analysis of Swine Operation & Feasibility of Expansion
5. Crops – Lowering Input Costs through Prepay & Crop Production Cost
6. Buildings & Grounds - Utilization of the old and new shop facilities
7. Public Relations – 65th Anniversary of the Ag 450 Farm