Instructors may make some changes to their outlines; the official outlines will be handed out at first class. Expand to read Plant Ag and UofG Academic Misconduct policy.
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Academic Misconduct

University Policy

Academic misconduct is behaviour that erodes the basis of mutual trust on which scholarly exchanges commonly rest, undermines the University's exercise of its responsibility to evaluate students' academic achievements, or restricts the University's ability to accomplish its learning objectives.

The University takes a serious view of academic misconduct and will severely penalize students, faculty and staff who are found guilty of offences associated with misappropriation of others' work, misrepresentation of personal performance and fraud, improper access to scholarly resources, and obstructing others in pursuit of their academic endeavours. In addition to this policy, the University has adopted a number of policies that govern such offences, including the policies on Misconduct in Research and Scholarship and the Student Rights and Responsibilities regulations. These policies will be strictly enforced.

It is the responsibility of the University, its faculty, students and staff to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible through establishment and use of policies and preventive procedures to limit the likelihood of offences occurring. Furthermore, individual members of the University community have the specific responsibility of initiating appropriate action in all instances where academic misconduct is believed to have taken place. This responsibility includes reporting such offences when they occur and making one's disapproval of such behaviour obvious.

University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that discourages misconduct. Students should also be aware that if they find their academic performance affected by medical, psychological or compassionate circumstances, they should inform the appropriate individuals,(instructors, program counsellors, graduate advisors) and follow the available procedures for academic consideration outlined in the University's calendars.

» http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/diploma/current/c08/c08-amisconduct.shtml

Department Policy

1. No Quotation and references. Plagiarism has occurred if the author does not place quotation marks around word-for-word copying of print or electronic format source material even if the source is correctly cited. To further reduce the possibility that a quotation will be misrepresented or mistaken as one's own work, instructors may request that quotations be italicized or double indented.

2. Degree of fidelity to source. Plagiarism has occurred if the author's writing is clearly recognizable as essentially derived from cited or uncited print or electronic format sources, even though the author has altered the original source material by inverting word or sentence order, or substituting synonyms. Authors should summarize and synthesize ideas and concepts rather than interchange words.

3. Group projects. Teams working on group projects should practice group dynamics (such as meetings of the whole group, review of each other's work and discussion of academic misconduct) that will discourage individuals from contributing plagiarized material. Groups may bear collective responsibility for the academic integrity of their project.

4. Identical individual projects. Plagiarism will be strongly suspected if two or more students submit individual projects that are substantially identical.

5. Editing answers. It is an improper academic practice to add, delete, or edit answers after the exam period has concluded, or using prohibited materials during an exam.

**CROP*2050** Gateway To Organic Agriculture

UNDERGRADUATE Students taking this course will be exposed to the full spectrum of opportunities in the field of organic agriculture, from social policy and marketing to crop rotation and rare breeds. In addition to lectures provided by faculty from several departments, guest speakers will offer practical insights into the field. Experiential learning will be encouraged, through data collection and analysis from organically managed land and from site interviews with practitioners in the field.

Instructors

E.A. Clark
Rm. 217 Crop Science Building
Phone: ext. 52508
Email: eaclark@uoguelph.ca

P. Voroney
Rm. 212 Richards Building
Phone: ext. 53057
Email: pvoroney@uoguelph.ca

M. Bredahl
Rm. 204A MacLachlan Building
Phone: ext. 53532
Email: mbredahl@uoguelph.ca

J. Sumner
Rm. 208 Landscape Architecture
Phone: ext. 52138
Email: jsumner@uoguelph.ca

Course Objectives

On completion of this course, students will be able to:

identify the Learning Objectives adopted by this university as common to all undergraduate majors. define and distinguish organic and conventional farming, both in theory and in practice, including the national standards for organic farming.
articulate and describe the scientific principles upon which organic farming is based.
identify the key descriptive features and eco-physiological adaptations of selected grain, forage, and hort crops in organic rotations and common livestock breeds.
identify the key social issues in organic agriculture from both a global and local perspective, within the framework of sustainability.
identify the major factors affecting the comparative profitability of organic farming and understand the use of value chains to reward on-farm practice.

Course Outline

Definition of Organic Farming; including key historical contributors leading to contemporary understanding of how basic ecological principles inform and guide farming practice; national organic standards, the transition process, and certification in Canada; allowable sources of livestock, seed, and other inputs to production - and why

Emulating Nature: why do it, and does it actually work? Practical examples from commercial farms to illustrate principles of organic production practices. Livestock risks and benefits for ecological sustainability.

Problem Avoidance by Design, using enterprise mix , crop rotation (including grassland leys), crops as tools; emphasis on weeds as indicator species, cultural (non-tillage)weed control, specialized mechanical implements; soil fertility and plant resistance to pests; livestock management to sustain health

Social Issues relating to gender, rural community sustainability, and social capital

Marketing and Trade Issues in organic products, with an emphasis on value chain connections

Labs will provide hands-on experience with soils, exposure to guest speakers (including farmers and other entrepreneurs from the organic sector) and field trips to organic farms. Apart from the soils labs, which will be marked separately, lab content will be emphasized on Final Exam

Course Orientation:
The dominant focus in this course is engagement, to elicit student involvement as active participants rather than passive recipients in the learning process. Opportunities provided toward this end include group as well as solo marking, to encourage individualized learning and personal initiative, numerous guest speakers, site interviews, and a lecture style that is interactive rather than unidirectional. The course is configured around the university Learning Objectives, and course content is viewed as a vehicle to contribute to your progress in the Learning Objectives, rather than as an end unto itself.

Evaluation of Student Progress

	ASSIGNMENT	% of grade
1.	Guest lecture/field trip analysis	10
2.	Soil labs	15
3.	Short (min 5 pp) report/analysis ¹	10
4.	Midterm	20
5.	Term project (min 10 pp), incl. oral presentation	20
6.	Final project (original research on organic farm)	25

¹ Up to 5% bonus points possible for a 15 minute oral presentation of results

Background Texts (Not Required)

Bromfield, Louis:	Malabar Farm.
Coleman, Elliott:	The New Organic Grower. and The Four Season Harvest.
Conford, Philip:	The Origins of the Organic Movement
Fukuoka, M:	The One-Straw Revolution.
Howard, Sir Albert:	An Agricultural Testament. and The Soil and Health.
King, F.H.:	Farmers of Forty Centuries.
Lampkin, Nicolas:	Organic Farming.
Logsden, Gene:	The Contrary Farmer.
Nearing, H. and S.:	Living the Good Life and More of the Good Life.

A CD documenting 12 organic case study farms in Ontario, as well as chapters on soil, weeds, and pests, will be available at cost, but will also be provided on Reserve at the library in written form.

Assigned reading will be provided either in print form at the Library Reserve desk or made accessible through the web at specified URLs.

Detailed Course Notes will be placed at the Library Reserve desk at intervals, specifically to encourage you to make use of library resources rather than just relying on web-mounted material. Examinations will include material from the Course Notes, as well as whatever required reading or additional material may be presented orally in class. You will be responsible for acquiring field trip and guest lecture material on your own, and the final exam in particular will emphasize lab material.

On Academic Misconduct and Deadlines - from the instructors

1. Get it in on time for full marks. Meeting deadlines is an important life skill. The purpose of assignments is to give you the opportunity to explore a new subject. But to do this well, you need to allow yourself the time needed to absorb the content and then synthesize it into your own creation.

2. The most common source of a low essay mark in this course is insufficient time allotted to organizing and structuring a readable essay, and proofreading to refine the finished product. I (Clark) am happy to review with you a draft of your assignment - or even a paragraph - prior to the due date. This is essentially ‘free’ marks for you - but you will have to be organized to take advantage of it.

3. The penalty for proven plagerism, of any magnitude, is a mark of 0 (zero) for the assignment.

4. Assignments are due at the start of the class hour. The penalty for late submission is -10% of the earned mark for submission anytime within the first 24 hours; -5% for anytime within each subsequent 24 hours.