Conservation and management practices in agriculture and natural resources

Catalog description

This course provides a foundation for understanding natural resource challenges with a specific focus on water and soil. You will learn to inventory resource challenges on farms using aerial photos, GIS tools, and other digital resources and real-world visits. You will analyze how agricultural activities such as tillage, fertilization, and irrigation affect soil health (organic matter, structure, and erosion) and water quality (nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment levels). You will identify various best management practices (BMPs) to address the resource challenges and understand how to properly plan the practices, including no/reduced till, crop rotation, diversion, terrace, waterway, prescribed grazing, silvopasture, cover crop, stripcropping, and filter strip. You will gain hands-on planning experience by developing a site-specific conservation plan that serves both the environment and the farmer's needs.