Community colleges have a strong history of providing vocational education and occupational training to meet changing workforce demands of local industries. In the Midwest, agricultural industries have expressed an expanding need for middle-skilled workers with postsecondary, pre-baccalaureate credentials. The 21st century agricultural landscape…

Purpose: There are many complexities to be considered when selecting tactical control options in crops grown under an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) regime. Students being trained in IPM are made aware of this complexity but do not always get the chance to experience IPM decision-making first-hand. This case study describes a web-based…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from February 21 to 25, 2011. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1003, the University System budget bill, was approved February 23 as amended by the House Appropriations, Education and Environment Division on a vote of 64-29; (2) Sponsored by…

This student reference booklet is designed to accompany lessons outlined in the companion instructor's guide on soil conservation. The soil conservation unit builds on competencies gained in Agricultural Science I and II. Informative material is provided for these eight lessons: benefits of conservation, land utilization, how soils are eroded,…

This report documents a profit-maximizing linear programming (LP) model of a farm typical of a major corn-soybean producing area in the Southern Michigan-Northern Indiana Drift Plain. Following an introduction, a complete description of the farm is provided. The next section presents the LP model, which is structured to help analyze after-tax…

Instructional aids produced from these transparency masters and the accompanying narrative may be used by vocational agriculture teachers in presenting courses in plant science. They were developed by subject matter specialists and teacher educators as part of a project designed to test effects of involving vocational agriculture teachers in…

This basic instructional guide for the first two years of instruction in agricultural education is one in a series of such guides. It is useful in developing and selecting instructional material and implementing competency-based education for two courses: agricultural science and basic plant science and agricultural science and basic animal…

A study identified the competencies needed by full-time employees entering the apple production industry. Other objectives of the study included: (1) identification of differences among competency areas needed for employees working for large, medium, and small growers (based on acreage); and (2) identification of differences among competency areas…

PAMPHLETS, SLIDES, TAPES, MANUALS, AND AN EXAMINATION ARE INCLUDED IN THIS CATALOG OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR USE BY VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE TEACHERS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND ADULT FARMER PROGRAMS. THE MATERIALS WERE DEVELOPED BY VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE TEACHERS, CURRICULUM SPECIALISTS, TECHNICAL SPECIALISTS, AND AUDIOVISUAL PERSONNEL AND ARE…

Part of a series of eight student learning modules in vocational agriculture, this booklet deals with plant reproduction. Topics covered include the pure line theory and its history, pure line selection, the effect of inbreeding on vitality, the definition of and reasons for hybridization in plants, and techniques for producing hybirds; a list of…

Competencies are identified for the four primary instructional areas of the Connecticut Vocational Agriculture Curriculum: plant science, agricultural mechanics, natural resources, and animal science. The competencies for each instructional area are divided into those for exploratory units generally appropriate for instruction at the…

The advantages and disadvantages of poster sessions vs. oral talks are reviewed. Front-end and secondary planning, materials, and follow-up needed for poster sessions are outlined. An example session and a check list are included. (Author/CW)

This article details some of the changes that have occurred in U.S. land-grant universities and colleges of agriculture, and the resulting issues and challenges facing faculty. Strategies for addressing these challenges are proposed. (Author/CW)

Presented is a successfully implemented active learning project and results of a survey to assess the success of the project. Materials and methods are discussed, and an example of one project is provided. (Author/CW)

This articulation project includes competencies for secondary and postsecondary vocational agriculture in the cluster areas of animal science, plant science, and agricultural management. Each cluster includes three types of competencies: secondary competencies; postsecondary competencies; and a combination of secondary and postsecondary…