Agriculture

Department Chair - Sherell Kuss Byrd

Associate Professor - Philip E. Shuler;

Associate Professor - John W. Byrd;

Visiting Instructor - Beth A. LaShell.

Several programs of study in Agriculture are available for students at Fort Lewis College.

As a cooperative effort between the Agriculture Program and the School of Business Administration, a four-year degree program is available for those students who are interested in professional careers in the agribusiness sector. See the School of Business Administration “Agricultural Business option” section of this catalog for more information.

Within Agriculture itself, four program options are available. A Guaranteed Transfer Program with Colorado State University is available for students interested in pursuing a four-year bachelor’s degree. Through this program a student can complete a prescribed sequence of coursework at Fort Lewis during the freshman and sophomore years and, with a minimum grade point average, be qualified for full transfer to Colorado State with junior standing. Major areas of study offered through the transfer program include Agricultural Business, Agronomy and Animal Sciences.

A second agricultural option is a two-year program at Fort Lewis College leading to an Associate of Arts degree in Agricultural Science. This program is designed to fill the needs of those students pursuing an agricultural career on a farm, ranch, or other agriculture-oriented business. Students may decide to concentrate in animal science, agricultural business, or agronomy.

Students also have the option of developing a student-constructed major. This option is for students who plan to continue in a four-year program and combine agriculture with a second field of study, such as biology, economics, or chemistry, which would lead to a degree in Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Science, or Organic Agriculture.

Minors are available in agriculture and agroecology/sustainable agriculture for students majoring in other disciplines. Requirements for these minors are listed at the end of this section.

REQUIREMENTS FOR AN ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE:

General Education Credits

Comp 150 Reading and Writing in College 4

Library 150 Information Literacy 1

ES 100 Fitness and Wellness 1

Quantitative Reasoning Q 3-4

Four courses to be selected from

General Education T, N, S, R (one from each group) 12-16

Total 21-26

** Courses marked with double asterisks may also be counted toward TS1 or Q requirements.

Specific Agricultural Science Requirements:

**Ag 101Tx Introductory Animal Science 4

Ag 102 Principles of Crop Production 4

Ag 150 Farm Records and Accounts 3

Approved math course (**Math 105Q or **Math 110Q) 3-4

Subtotal Specific Requirements 14-15

Agricultural Science Electives (at least five courses selected from the following):

**Ag 180N Sustainable Agriculture 3

Ag 202 Integrated Pest Management/Weed

Control 4

**Ag 203T Introduction to Medicinal Crops 3

Ag 204 Forage Production and Management 3

Ag 235 Soils and Soil Fertility 4

Ag 240 Principles of Animal Nutrition 4

Ag 299 Individualized Study 1-6

Ag 301 Range Management 4

Ag 325 Beef Science 3

Ag 346 Agricultural Marketing 3

Ag 370 Internship in Agriculture 3

Ag 390 Special Topics (as offered) 3-4

Ag 499 Independent Study 1-6

TS2T 402 Agricultural Issues in Society 3

Subtotal Ag Science Electives minimum 15

TOTAL REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION 50-56

Free Electives Subtotal 4-10

Suggested Electives:

**Geog 250T Intro To Computer Mapping and GIS

Geog 300 Intermediate GIS: Vector-Based Analysis

Engr 103 Computer Aided Drafting

Engr 205 Surveying I

Courses in Computer Science, Economics, Chemistry, Biology, Business Administration

Agricultural Experience: A student is required to have a minimum of 15 weeks of work experience on a farm, ranch, or other acceptable agricultural business prior to the awarding of the Associate of Arts degree in Agricultural Science. This requirement may also be fulfilled by an acceptable Ag 370 Internship in Agriculture experience.

TOTAL REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION 60

Note to transfer and former students: If you have taken any of your major requirements and received a different number of credits than listed above, you may need to complete additional major credit requirements.

PROGRAM OF STUDY FOR GUARANTEED TRANSFER PROGRAM:

Students participating in the guaranteed transfer program will select courses in consultation with their academic advisor. The specific courses required will depend on which concentration is selected.

Agriculture Minor

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN AGRICULTURE:

One of the following:

**Ag 101Tx Introductory Animal Science 4

Ag 102 Principles of Crop Production 4

**Ag 180N Sustainable Agriculture 3

Additional courses (select three to five of the following):

Ag 150 Farm Records and Accounts 3

Ag 202 Integrated Pest Management/Weed Control 4

**Ag 203T Introduction to Medicinal Crops 3

Ag 204 Forage Production and Management 3

Ag 235 Soils and Soil Fertility 4

Ag 240 Principles of Animal Nutrition 4

TS2T 402 Agricultural Issues in Society 3

Ag 301 Range Management 4

Ag 325 Beef Science 3

Ag 346 Agricultural Marketing 3

Ag 370 Internship in Agriculture 3

Ag 390 Special Topics 3-4

TOTAL REQUIRED FOR AGRICULTURE MINOR minimum 20¹

¹A minimum of 20 credits is required, six of which must be 300-level or above. Students may concentrate in such areas as General Agriculture, Animal Science, Agronomy, or Agricultural Business.

Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Minor

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN AGROECOLOGY/SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE :

Specific Departmental Requirements:

Choose one of the following:

**Ag 180N Sustainable Agriculture or

**Ag 101Tx Introductory Animal Science or

Ag 102 Principles of Crop Production 3-4

Choose one of the following:

**Bio 250Nx/**SW 250Nx Ecology of the Southwest or

Bio 220 Fundamentals of Ecology 4

Choose one of the following:

Ag 370 Internship in Agriculture or

Soc 320 Community Service or

Bio 480 Internship in Biology or

Ag/Bio 299-Ag/Bio 499 Independent Study 3

Other Departmental Requirements:

Choose three of the following:

**Ag 101Tx Introductory Animal Science 4

Ag 102 Principles of Crop Production 4

**Ag 180N Sustainable Agriculture 3

Ag 202 Weed Control/Integrated Pest Management 4

Ag 204 Forage Production 4

Ag 235 Soils and Soil Fertility 4

**Anth 243S Food: Systems of Production 4

Anth 406 Ethnobotany of the Southwest 4

Bio 471 Field Ecology 5

Econ 335 Environmental Economics 4

**Geog 250T Intro to Computer Mapping and GIS 4

Geol 401 Natural Resources and the Environment 3

TS2N 406 Water in the West 3

**Phil 252N Environmental Ethics 4

Phil 352 Ecology and Morality 4

PS 205 Environmental Politics 3

SW 330 Cowboys, Cattlemen, and Popular Culture 3

**SW 135R The Southwest I 3

SW 136 The Southwest II 3

TOTAL REQUIRED FOR AGROECOLOGY/SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE MINOR 19-23