You are in the official 1984-85 General Catalog for California State University, Fresno.

COURSES

Note: Active immunization against tetanus (available through Student Health Services) is a prerequisite for registration in any laboratory course in agriculture and for any student employment on the University Farm.

Note: Cost to the student of extended field trips will vary each semester depending upon itinerary. The student should ask the course instructor.



Economic Principles (Ag Ec)

1. Introductory Agricultural Economics (3)
Microeconomic principles of resource allocation, production, cost analysis, and market price equilibrium with primary application to farms and agribusiness firms; supply and demand in commodity pricing under perfect and imperfect competition; survey of agricultural management and marketing problems and issues.

100. Intermediate Agricultural Economics (3)
Prerequisites: Ag Ec 1 and intermediate algebra. Microeconomic theory of agricultural production in factor-product, factor-factor, product-product decisions; production costs and economies of size; consumer choice theory; price and output determination under imperfectly competitive markets; marginal productivity theory and the derived demand for agribusiness inputs.



Farm Management (Ag Ec)

110. Farm Management (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Production economics and management techniques for analysis of efficient farm planning, organization, and administration; economic impacts of crop and animal husbandary practices, yield and price variations, financing and taxation; optimization of land, labor, machinery, and water utilization levels and scheduling. (2 lecture, 3 lab hours) (Computer lab fee, $15)

114. Advanced Farm Management (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 110. Design, computerization, and analysis of profit maximizing; cost minimizing and multiperiod linear programming models; risk and uncertainty; data and information requirements for decision making; optimizing the level and mix of crop livestock enterprises; development of farm management plans.

117. Agricultural Labor-Management Relations (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Economic analysis of the farm labor market; labor productivity, agricultural mechanization and farm employment; farm labor laws and government regulations; agricultural labor relations, unionization, and collective bargaining; farm personnel administration practices and supervisory management principles.



Agribusiness Management (Ag Ec)

120. Agribusiness Management (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Organizational forms and management functions of agribusiness firms; human resource management systems; management science principles for optimizing plant location, equipment replacement, inventory control, and sales volume; operations research techniques, including probability-based network and decision models, for solving agribusiness problems.

122. Agricultural Cooperative Management (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 120. Philosophical, historical, and legislative evolution of U.S. agricultural cooperatives; uniqueness of cooperative organization, planning, direction and control functions vis-a-vis standard corporations; legal, financial, and tax considerations in managing input-supply and marketing cooperatives; case studies and field trips to cooperatives.

128. Advanced Agricultural Law (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 28 or B A 18. Case applications of agricultural business law; torts covering trespass, negligence, liability for farm livestock and chemicals; surface and mineral property rights; water law; farm labor law; agribusiness firm incorporation; agricultural cooperative regulation; state and federal marketing orders; farm estate taxation.




Financial Planning (Ag Ec)

31. Farm Accounting (3)
Basic concepts and principles of financial accounting systems applied to farm operations; mechanics of recording single and double entry transactions under cash and accrual accounting methods; preparation and analysis of enterprise records and financial statements to generate management information. (2 lecture, 3 lab hours) (Computer lab fee, $15) (Formerly Ag Ec 30)

130. Agricultural Finance (3)
Prerequisites: Ag Ec 1 and Ag Ec 31 or Acct 4A. Analysis of farm financial statements; legal instruments of financial transactions; institutional sources of farm credit; time value of money and capital budgeting for agricultural investment; cost of debt and equity capital; risk management strategies; insurance, tax, and farm estate planning.

136. Farm and Ranch Appraisal (3)
Prerequisites: Ag Ec 1; Ag Ec 110 or 110N (recommended). Principles of agricultural appraisal; physical and economic factors affecting land values; estimation of real estate value using income, cost, and market data approaches; case studies and field problems involving the valuation of local farm and ranch properties.



Agricultural Development (Ag Ec)

140. International Agriculture Development (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Agricultural sector development and national economic growth in low income countries; research, extension and policy strategies for transforming subsistence farmers into commercial growers; foreign aid efforts addressing food deficits, malnutrition, overpopulation, rural underemployment, environmental degradation, inappropriate technology, and capital shortages.

147. Rural Development Administration (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 140. Application of public administration and business management principles to directing international agricultural technical assistance; infrastructure development, institution building, policy formulation, technology transfer, and rural entrepreneurship in market-oriented and state-planned economies; program planning, project supervision and contract management overseas



Public Policy (Ag Ec)

150. Agricultural Policy (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Analysis of public policies affecting the economic position of U.S. and California agriculture; government programs influencing agricultural production, commodity distribution, market prices and farm income; selected topics concerning American food and fiber system; comparative foreign agricultural policies and U.S. trade.

153. Agricultural Trade (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 150. Comparative advantage, trade models, protectionist barriers and balance of payments; world agricultural trade patterns and international commodity agreements; domestic farm programs and foreign trade policies; surplus food aid and concessionary sales overseas; trade liberalization versus preferences issue and economic development.

155. Natural Resource Economics (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Economic analysis of public policies governing land use, water management, energy generation, mineral exploitation and forest administration; review of population pressures and resource conservation; examination of externalities, property rights issues, resource use planning, agricultural zoning, environmental regulations, and reclamation law.



Product Marketing (Ag Ec)

160. Agricultural Marketing (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Commodity transformation and product flow through processing and distribution channels; market structure, conduct and performance; marketing system efficiency and marketing bill components; over supply, marketing orders, grading and standards, and price stabilization; price forecasting, futures market trading, and risk management. (Formerly Ag Ec 161)

162. Commodity Futures Trading (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 160. Speculation and the price discovery process; fundamental analysis and long-run decisions to hedge; technical analysis and short-run timing of crop/livestock sales; trend line charts utilizing moving averages; trading mechanics, price projection and development of futures trading plans.

163. Agricultural Export Marketing (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 160. Determination of potential overseas markets for U.S. agricultural products through export marketing studies; foreign business environment and distribution channels; product preparation and transportation abroad; cultural-specific promotional and advertising programs; international sales agreements, financial transactions, plus banking and shipping documentation.

166. Agricultural Sales and Communications (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Business sales strategies and selling approaches for agricultural products and services; commodity advertising and promotional campaigns; public relations for agribusiness firms, industries, and institutions; news gathering and writing for farm publications and broadcast media; simulated videotape presentations.



Decision Analysis (Ag Ec)

71. Agricultural Business Statistics (3)
Prerequisite: Students must take the ELM exam; students who do not pass the exam must record a grade of C or better in a college-taught intermediate algebra course. Application of descriptive statistics to analyze agricultural sector conditions; measures of central tendencies and dispersion, time series analysis, index numbers, seasonal variation, data collection and presentation, introduction to probability theory, and discrete and continuous probability distribution.

170. Agribusiness Research Methods (3)
Prerequisites: Ag Ec 71 or DS 73, Ag Ec 76 or IS 50, and Ag Ec 100; upper-division writing skills requirement. Research methods applied to agricultural business; problem definition, hypothesis formulation, research design, data collection, and results analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. A culminating project includes proposal, research, written report, and oral presentation of findings.

178. Agricultural Systems Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 71 or DS 73, and Ag Ec 76 or IS 50. Systems science principles for agribusiness planning and controlling decisions: logic and probability in diagnosing problems, designing operations, and achieving objectives with general and subsystems models: identification of elements, relationships, and procedures for efficient input/output transformation: applications to computer programming.




Special Topics (Ag Ec)

80. Undergraduate Research (1-4; max total 4)
Prerequisites: Ag Ec 1 and permission of instructor. Directed study or research on particular problems in the field of agricultural economics and business. Consult department policies and procedures governing undergraduate research. Approved for SP grading.

180. Undergraduate Research (1-4; max total 4)
Prerequisites: Ag Ec 170 and permission of instructor. Directed study or research on particular problems in the field of agricultural economics and business. Consult department policies and procedures governing undergraduate research. Approved for SP grading.

185T. Topics in Agricultural Business (1-3; max total 9)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Agricultural economics, farm management, agribusiness management, financial planning, agricultural development, public policy, product marketing, and decision analysis. Topics may require lab hours.



Industry Relations (Ag Ec)

192. Agricultural Business Field Studies (2)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 1. Business and economic functions performed by specialized agricultural agencies with emphasis on physical operating patterns. Field trips to production, marketing, and finance firms. Workshops with agribusiness managers. (1 lecture, 2 lab hours) (Field trip fee, up to $75)

194. Agribusiness Internship (1-8; max total 8)
Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and approval of internship committee. Emphasis on development of decision-making ability through industrial experience integrated with basic principles acquired in the classroom. CR/NC grading only.

195. Agribusiness Career Seminar (1)
Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Career exploration and academic preparation in agribusiness; assessment of personal and professional skills matching agricultural occupational choices; career planning, self-marketing strategies, and job-hunting tactics; resume and letter writing, interview and job-offer negotiations; workshops with industry representatives.

Agricultural Education (Ag Ed)

80. Undergraduate Research (1-4; max total 4)
Open to freshmen and sophomores with permission of instructor. Exploratory work on a suitable agricultural problem in agricultural education. Approved for SP grading.

135. Introduction to Agricultural Education (3)
Survey of agricultural education in California, including qualifications for teaching agriculture, structure and content of vocational agriculture programs. Supervision of vocational youth organizations.

150. Resource Materials (2)
Prerequisite: junior standing. Development and application of techniques for obtaining and using resource materials including government documents, university and experiment station reports; educational material and services available from governmental agencies, allied industries, and professional organizations. Emphasis on material for agriculture and allied fields. (Former Agr 150)

160T. Topics in Agriculture
(1-4; max total 6 per discipline if no topic repeated)
Prerequisites: junior standing and permission of instructor. Agricultural education. Topics may require lab hours.

180. Undergraduate Research (1-4; max total 4)
Open to juniors or seniors with permission of instructor. Exploratory work on a suitable agricultural problem in agricultural education.

187. Organization, Administration, and Supervision of Agricultural Education (3)
Prerequisite: senior standing. A study of the California and federal plans for vocational education as they pertain to agricultural education.

189. Adult and Continuation Education in Agriculture (3)
Prerequisite: senior standing. History, philosophy, organization, administration, and development of teaching rural and urban adult education programs in agricultural mechanics and agricultural sciences.

190. Independent Study (1-3; max see reference)
See Academic Placement Independent Study.



GRADUATE COURSES

(See Course Numbering System and Eligibility.)

Agricultural Business (Ag Bs)

200. Seminar in Agricultural Business (1; max total 4)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Written and oral reports concerning recent literature on current problems and issues related to agricultural business.

210. Farm Management Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 100 and 110. Integration of production economics theory with management science techniques to develop farm management plans; analysis of farm management decisions under uncertainty using programming models, statistical analysis, and other operations research methods.

220. Agribusiness Management Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 120. Diagnosis of management problems in terms of planning, controlling, directing, organizing, and staffing functions; management science techniques for decision making under certainty and uncertainty using deterministic and probabilistic models; case study assessment of organizational behavior theory and operations research methodology.

225. Food Processing and Distribution Management (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 124 or permission of instructor. Analysis of strategic management decisions involving pricing relationships, processing and packaging systems, transportation modes and distribution logistics for agricultural products in domestic and global markets; application of modern management tools to food industry case problems including operations of international food marketing firms.

230. Agricultural Finance Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 130 or Fin 120 or MBA 212. Application of advanced portfolio theory, capital asset pricing models, and capital budgeting procedures to decision making under uncertainty for farming operations and agricultural businesses; case studies illustrating database management, tax management, and optimal capital asset replacement scheduling.

240. Agricultural Sector Planning (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 130 or Fin 120, Ag Bs 250. Economic policies, incentive structures, and resource constraints affecting agricultural development; rural development theories, growth models and sector strategies for increasing farm productivity; design, implementation, and evaluation of technical assistance programs; economic and financial appraisal of public and private investment projects.

250. Agricultural Policy Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 100. Exploration of policy-making processes; evaluation of government farm and food programs; determination of industry responses and firm adjustments to changing market structures and public policies; investigation of agricultural sector problems, issues, and linkages with the national and international economies.

260. Agricultural Marketing Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Ec 160. Examination of demand and supply functions underlying market price determination; review of farm-retail marketing margins; analysis of spatial and intertemporal price equilibrium models; application of econometric techniques to empirical cases; preparation of marketing studies; development of distribution/merchandising strategies.

265. Agricultural Price Forecasting (3)
Prerequisite: Ag Bs 260. Specification of demand and supply equations; regression analysis of agricultural price forecasting models; estimation of price, income, and cross elasticities and price flexibility coefficients; analysis of price trends and cyclical price variations; advanced hedging and speculation in commodity futures trading.

270. Research Communications in Agribusiness (3)
Prerequisite: advancement to candidacy. Individually directed readings in a field of special concern to the student's graduate program; appropriate research proposal writing and evaluation required.

280T. Topics in Agricultural Business (3; max total 6)
Prerequisite: upper-division agricultural economics courses appropriate to the topic. Fields of study include: farm management, agribusiness management, financial planning, agricultural development, public policy, and product marketing.

290. Independent Study (1-3; max see reference)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study.

298. Project (3-6; max total 6)
Prerequisite: prior advancement to candidacy; see Criteria for Thesis and Project. Management audit of an operating agricultural business firm, replicated feasibility study, computer model, system simulation or similar professional problem-solving activity with extensive written documentation. Public presentation of proposal and seminar, plus final oral defense required.

299. Thesis (3-6; max total 6)
Prerequisite: prior advancement to candidacy; see Criteria for Thesis and Project. Preparation, completion, and submission of an acceptable thesis for the master's degree.

Agriculture (Agri)

200. Biometrics in Agriculture (3)
Prerequisite: Math 101 or Plant 99, permission of instructor. Advanced concepts in the design of agricultural experiments. Emphasis is placed on the selection of appropriate designs to meet the objectives of well-planned experiments. Relative merits of various designs and topics in analysis, interpretation, and regression are covered.

220. Research Communications in Agriculture (3)
Prerequisite: completion of university graduate writing skills requirement. Emphasis on critical literature review, scientific writing, and oral presentation of research results.

280. Seminar in Agriculture (1-3; max see below)
Maximum total credit 9 units in any given area or any combination of the three areas. Prerequisite: permission of instructor; admission to teacher preparation program; bachelor's degree in agriculture. Advanced problems in agriculture; research and experimentation in a selected area: animal science, plant science, or agricultural mechanics.

281. Problems in Agricultural Education (1-3; max total 3)
Prerequisite: graduate standing. Individual supervised research in agricultural education; appropriate reports and evaluation required. Individual conferences.

290. Independent Study (1-3; max see reference)
See Academic Placement Independent Study.

299. Thesis (2-4; max total 4)
Prerequisite: See Criteria for Thesis and Project. Preparation, completion, and submission of an acceptable thesis for the master's degree.

IN-SERVICE COURSE

(See Course Numbering System.)

Agriculture (Agri)

300. Topics In Agriculture (1-3)
Topics may require lab hours.

Return to Courses Menu
Return to General Catalog Home Page