Agribusiness Management (AGBU)

AGBU 101 is a required course for SMSU Agribusiness Majors. The course should be taken in the freshman year or in the first year of transfer. This course introduces the goals and student learning outcomes of the Agribusiness major and SMSUs Liberal Education Plan. Students use the course to identify career goals, relate those goals to their academic choices, and create electronic program portfolio to assess progress in achieving program goals and student learning outcomes.

To enable students to gain some basic knowledge of soils and how they can best be managed for long run optimum production.

Agricultural Sales prepares students for both a sales career in Agriculture and other industrial settings. The course also develops the general sales skills needed by anyone entering a career in agriculture. Students will learn about developing a strategic sales plan, customer prospecting, the sales process, and other topics using agriculture-focused topics.

A study of how to use futures and options contracts to hedge price risk. Stress is placed on the use of agricultural commodity contracts by farmers and agribusinesses working with farmers.

Financial futures and options contracts are presented as a means for hedging and speculating. Economic and financial theories are used to analyze specific transactions.

Budgeting and financial analysis are used to study how to maximize profit and efficiency in resource use for a farming operation. Microcomputer spreadsheets and other programs are used for class projects.

Computer farm management aids, risk analysis, FIN PACK, farm business organization selection, income tax management, disinvestment, and estate planning.

This course emphasizes the role agriculture plays in the development process. On completion of this course, the students should be able to explain the role of agriculture in the development process, analyze the effects of developing country economic policies on the agricultural sector, and use economic reasoning and tools such as graphs to analyze the agricultural sector.

The organizational, legal, financial and managerial aspects of doing business as a cooperative corporation are examined in this course. Relationships between member-patrons, directors and the manager of the cooperative are analyzed using case studies. The business activities of a cooperative corporation are computer-simulated and analyzed.

A comprehensive analysis is conducted of the role of agribusinesses in international trade and development. Case studies involving agribusinesses are analyzed to identify the issues and methods used to market, finance, and manage the import-export of agricultural products.

Analysis of farm prices and the effect of supply, demand and institutional forces on farm income and farm income policy.

A comprehensive look at all facets of extending agricultural and agribusiness loans, from analysis of the financial statements of agricultural enterprises to dealing with problem loans. Emphasizes general principles of banking management and evaluation, fulfillment of credit needs, and uses of capital from the perspective of both borrowers and lenders.

This course will describe and evaluate past and future policies developed to deal with income distribution, resource use and changes in technology in the food and agriculture system.

A study of more advanced topics in agribusiness not normally provided as part of the curriculum.

Arranged Independent Study in Agribusiness

AGBU 495 is a required course for SMSU Agribusiness Majors. Students use electronic portfolios to evaluate their academic accomplishments and career readiness. Students evaluate and communicate the content of their portfolios using the goals and student learning outcomes of the Agribusiness program. Performance evaluation also includes SMSUs Liberal Education Plan Rubrics for written and speech communication, information literacy, and critical thinking. Agribusiness students systematically analyze and communicate what they have learned in their degree program, and synthesize those results to create valuable plans for their future careers after degree completion.

The opportunity to pursue an internship is designed to supplement course materials with actual related work experience. Students are expected to integrate disciplinary knowledge into a real world setting. The student will submit weekly reports on work assignments as well as a report at the conclusion of the internship. The number of credits allowed will depend on the magnitude of the internship.