Teaching Responsibilities

Fall

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 both 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

identify the Learning Objectives adopted by this university as common to all undergraduate majors
describe the major types of disturbed land, and for each, the magnitude of land affected in Canada, the degree to which it has been and could be reclaimed, and special problems
discuss the general principles and terminology pertaining to soil (e.g. structure, texture, hydrology, microclimate, chemistry) and other stresses to which plants are exposed to during reclamation of disturbed land
outline the principles and processes of directed ecological succession
distinguish several major plant species used for reclamation, both visually and descriptively
identify several key players in the reclamation industry, including firms, individuals, and associations that are known for their contributions to the field

inventory a farm to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for organic farming
take advantage of site diversity by identifying and mapping individual farm management units based on biophysical measures
access appropriate publicly available databases and organizations to identify an economically, ecologically, and socially viable farm enterprise
identify a suitable enterprise for a specific management unit, and prepare a case study/brief justifying the enterprise
estimate a rough nutrient budget for each enterprise, integrating starting soil fertility, realistic yield/animal performance; implied nutrient export; and suitable sources of replacement nutrients
develop a simple enterprise budget showing real world costs for expected inputs to production, processing, and marketing, and real world values for finished products
synthesize recommendations in the form of a case study for each management unit, laying out the parameters that led to the decisions, and identifying potential risks and approaches to managing risk.

design farm production systems that comply with Canadian organic regulations, acknowledge site-specific biophysical, social, and marketing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT); ‘stack’ enterprises, such that a given resource (e.g. barn, lane, woods, steer, hour of farmer time etc.) earns income from more than one enterprise; capture positive ecological and economic synergies among enterprises, such that each enterprise contributes something to at least one other enterprise, and in turn, benefits from something from another enterprise; and internalize ecological and economic costs of production
view enterprises as multi-functional service providers
identify and use appropriate sources of information to construct a whole farm nutrient budget
prepare a Business Management Plan suitable for soliciting funding from a bank, co-op, or other financial agency

identify the Learning Objectives adopted by this university as common to all undergraduate majors
connect the causal or driving forces underlying agricultural practices, and the rationale for a precautionary approach to technology assessment
explore contemporary issues in crop ecology - such as energy use efficiency - within the context of historical and modern contributions to ecological thought.
analyse the foundational role of system 'design' in the operation of agricultural production systems, and to ponder alternative designs for agriculture in the future
compare biodiversity of natural and managed ecosystems and explain why specific plant and animal species have been domesticated for human nutrition and environmental management, among species and among cultivars or hybrids within crop species, including genetic engineering
relate crop adaptation and management to selected microclimatic and environmental factors, including incident irradiance, photoperiod, air and soil temperature, and the hydrologic cycle.

investigate/explore/acquire information in novel subject areas in a time-efficient manner, organize it logically, and present it effectively in written format
describe the terms and the biological/economic/societal drivers for historic, contemporary, and future use of managed grasslands in Ontario
compare the physiological adaptations conferring tolerance to defoliation frequency and to drought, nutrient, and winter stresses, and to recommend temperate species and mixtures appropriate for diverse situations.
identify the components of forage nutritional value, and quantify the influences of plant species and maturity, the nutritional requirements of animal species and grazing behavior
focus the principles of forage conservation/pasture and grazing management toward practical approaches to resource conservation and livestock production in Ontario