HORT 1110 Syllabus

Subject Code

HORT

Course Number

1110

Course Title

Small Scale Food Production

Prerequisites

Program admission

Corequisites

Terms Offered

Offered Summer

Credit Hours

(3-4-4)

Course Description

This course provides hands-on experience in food-crop production to be sold direct to the consumer, at farmers markets, or community sponsored agriculture sites. Topics include farm safety, farm design and development, propagation, production, harvesting, packaging, and marketing.

Course Outcomes

Farm Safety

  • List safety hazards inherent to the farming career relative to equipment, nature, and labor.
  • Give examples of Best Management practices to prevent and respond to accidents on the farm.

Farm Design and Development

  • Define farm as a food production system.
  • Discuss site selection factors which affect foo crop production.
  • Discuss organization and development of the crop production area.
  • Identify fam facilities requirements for different plant production systems.
  • Produce a farm layout including roads, propagation, structures, production areas, processing areas, storage, and administrative buildings.

Production Schedule and Propagation

  • Discuss production schedules.
  • Discuss customer base and its effect on market dates and production schedules.
  • Develop a production schedule including timing of crop propagation.
  • Define sexual, asexual, and vegetative propagation.
  • List propagation structures, environmental requirements, and propagation methods.
  • Discuss Integrated pest management (IPM).
  • Identify various planting mediums for different propagation methods.
  • Discuss seed selection, storing, pretreatment, and sowing.
  • Apply seed sowing methods.
  • Discuss the vegetative propagation steps of collection, handling, rooting, and installing.
  • Apply vegetative propagation methods.

Food Crop Production Methods and Culture

  • Discuss different production methods of field grown crops.
  • Discuss soil and nutrition management of young plants.
  • Apply sustainable soil enhancements.
  • Collect a soil sample to be tested for pH and nutritional content.
  • Discuss spacing and layout of the production area.
  • Discuss irrigations and water management of crops.
  • Implement a water management program.
  • Implement an IPM program.

Handling, Grading, Transport, Sales

  • Describe harvesting, grading, handling, and transporting farm products.
  • Demonstrate harvesting, grading, handling, and transport of farm products.
  • Discuss marketing venues.
  • Discuss marketing and sales of farm products.
  • Demonstrate sales of farm products.