James Uphaus, PhD, Chair
Phone: (419) 995-8207
Email: uphaus.j@rhodesstate.edu
Office: JJC 179M
The Agriculture Associates degree program is designed to provide students with practical education in an increasing demand field. The first-year students will learn fundamental Agronomy and Agriculture Business aspects to provide a foundation for their second-year of the curriculum. Students will choose a pathway in either Prescription Mapping or Robotics with Artificial Intelligence. The Prescription Mapping option prepares graduates for careers in soil and water conservation, field application, agronomic consultant technician, and agriculture sales. The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence option prepares students to support and gather information from robotic agricultural equipment.
While completing the Prescription Mapping specialization, the students will acquire fundamental information about Ohio’s agricultural soil variation and associated cropping practices, agriculture product sales and return on investment evaluation, and apply those principles to technical skills in creating prescription maps from laboratory and field-based results. While completing the Robotics with Artificial Intelligence specialization, the students will utilize the same fundamental agronomy and agriculture business skills while working with emerging technical innovations.
This technical agriculture program provides a strong foundation for students who wish to earn pesticide application and crop advisor certifications.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion, the student will be able to:
- Communicate effectively in both written and oral form with coworkers, customers, and others in and about agriculture.
- Locate and use information and numerical data in solving problems related to agriculture.
- Research, design, and use best practices to create environmentally sustainable, productive, and economically viable solutions to agricultural problems and challenges.
- Demonstrate initiative, leadership, and planning in building professional relationships in the community, and workplace.
Technical Standards
See here for details.
Tech Prep Partner
See here for details.
Agricultural Business Certificate
The Agriculture Business certificate will provide students with a basic understanding of Northwest Ohio Agriculture from production to marketing, skills for managing themselves and others in agriculture businesses, marketing techniques in niche and commodity marketing unique to agriculture, and critical thinking skills in solving sustainability issues in local and international agriculture. This certificate provides students with the basic skills required by employers. Agriculture employers have assisted in designing this certificate to prepare students who are authentic speakers about agriculture, who can be self-managed, understand local marketing options and are critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| AGR 1000 | Introduction to Agriculture | 3 |
| IMT 1911 | Technical Math I | 3 |
| AGR 1100 | Principles of Agricultural Business Management | 3 |
| AGR 1200 | Sustainable Agriculture | 3 |
| AGR 1300 | Principles of Agricultural Marketing and Sales | 3 |
| AGR 2991 | Field Experience | 1 |
| Total Hours | 16 |
The Agriculture Robotics and Intelligence certificate provides students with the technical skills to support a career in this emerging field. Courses in this certificate integrate agricultural applications to existing Rhodes State College courses of fluid power, electricity and electronics, programmable logic controllers and robotics and mechanatronics. Courses in precision agriculture equipment and introduction to artificial intelligence in agriculture apply industrial robotic concepts towards applications in crop management and integrated pest management. Agricultural robotic technology is increasing in soil sampling, stored grain quality maintenance, and controlled environment agriculture. Local and technical expertise outside of the Rhodes State College supporting region was sought to develop this curriculum so that it would provide training in the anticipated growth area. The courses utilize team learning and individual internships to integrate local and global information towards earning Fanuc Robot Certification. Robotic applications are demonstrated through hands on learning and problem solving exercises.
Agriculture Robotics and Intelligence Certificate
| First Year |
|---|
| First Semester | Hours |
|---|
| MET 2310 | Fluid Power | 3 |
| AMT 1070 | Basic Electricity and Electronics | 3 |
| AMT 2030 | Programmable Logic Controllers | 3 |
| AGR 1500 | Precision Agriculture Equipment | 3 |
| COM 1110 | English Composition | 3 |
| | Term Hours | 15 |
| Second Semester | |
|---|
| FMS 2110 | Basic Robotics and Mechatronics | 3 |
| AMT 2050 | Robot Maintenance | 3 |
| AGR 1600 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture | 3 |
| GLG 1000 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| BIO 1310 | Environmental Science I | 3 |
| | Term Hours | 16 |
| | Total Hours | 31 |
The Agronomy certificate provides students with the skills in agronomy to support a career in this ever-changing field. Most local career opportunities in agriculture require agronomic knowledge and the ability to earn the Certified Crop Advisor certificate. The Agronomy certificate includes courses in soils, crop management, nutrient management, and integrated pest management. The soils class discusses soil properties and formation from glaciation including drainage. Crop management evaluates cropping systems and environmental interactions affecting yield. Nutrient management assesses plant nutrient needs with the 4R program, tri-state guidelines, and best management practices and nutrient retention. Integrated pest management provides an understanding of economic and environmental aspects of controlling field pests. The courses utilize team learning and individual internships to integrate local and global information. Problem solving exercises and contemporary computer software are integrated into the courses based on input from local agricultural business.
Agronomy Certificate
| First Year |
|---|
| First Semester | Hours |
|---|
| AGR 1401 | Introduction to Soils for Agronomic Production | 3 |
| AGR 1402 | Principles of Crop Management | 3 |
| AGR 1403 | Principles of Nutrient Management | 3 |
| AGR 1404 | Introduction to Integrated Pest Management | 3 |
| CHM 1110 | Introductory General Chemistry | 4 |
| AGR 2991 | Field Experience | 1 |
| | Term Hours | 17 |
| | Total Hours | 17 |
The Prescription Mapping certificate will provide students with the skills in prescription mapping to support and operate precision field equipment. Students will learn to collect, securely move and evaluate quality data across multiple platforms. Instruction will include problem solving exercises with field data collection, interpretation and writing prescription maps from multiple data layers. Field and office based computer and data platforms will be utilized in the instruction. Courses in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation will provide students the understanding of safe operation and data collection with UAV sensors. Students will be prepared for UAV licensing exam. This is a dynamic curriculum developed to integrate emerging technologies. All courses integrate global and local information along with technology to train students in assessing and working with field variation.
Prescription Mapping in Agriculture Certificate
| First Year |
|---|
| First Semester | Hours |
|---|
| CET 2220 | Surveying Fundamentals | 3 |
| AGR 1540 | Introduction to GIS in Agriculture | 3 |
| AGR 1515 | Introduction to GPS in Agriculture | 3 |
| AVI 1000 | Unmanned Aerial Systems | 3 |
| COM 1110 | English Composition | 3 |
| | Term Hours | 15 |
| Second Semester | |
|---|
| AVI 1200 | Unmanned Aerial Systems Basic Operation | 3 |
| AGR 1500 | Precision Agriculture Equipment | 3 |
| AGR 1501 | Prescription Mapping in Agriculture | 3 |
| GLG 1000 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| BIO 1310 | Environmental Science I | 3 |
| | Term Hours | 16 |
| | Total Hours | 31 |
