Cultivating Oat for Food (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

Pass/Fail

Objective

The purpose of the course
After attending this course, you will know how to grow food oats or, alternatively, another crop as a food raw material. The aim is to try the cultivation of a crop in practice.

Course competencies
agricultural know-how

Course competence
You control the most important things about growing oats in Finland. You know the effect of growth factors on oat growth. You know how to choose the best oat varieties for your own cultivation and you know the importance of seed quality in the production of food oats. You know how to create a working crop cycle for oats. You can make a suitable fertilization and plant protection plan for oats. You understand the role of head blight in the quality risk of food oats and know how to list head blight management tools. You know the growth rates of oats and the associated cultivation procedures. You know the machines and stages of oat cultivation. You know the basics of IPM farming as well as Organic farming. You know the factors that affect the production costs of oat growing. Or when you get acquainted with an alternative plant, the above information about that plant corresponds.

Content

oat for food use - growth factors - drying of fields - liming of fields - basics of fertilization - basics of plant protection - cereal production machinery - crop rotation - oat varieties - head blight - growth rates of oats - production cost - organic farming - IPM cultivation

Materials

The student compiles learning material for himself / herself as the course progresses, guided by assignments.

Teaching methods

This is a multimode implementation, so the emphasis is on independent study and independent doing. Everyone chooses a particular crop, the characteristics and cultivation of which they become familiar with so that they can act as experts in that crop. The tasks of the learning environment guide the development of the student's competence in the crop of their choice. Regarding the cultivation of the crop, the student draws up a detailed cultivation plan, implements it in the summer of 2024 and reports on the progress of the cultivation and calculates the cost of production. The student will participate in at least one crop-related field event of their choice or another similar information day for farmers during the spring or summer of 2024. If possible, the student will get acquainted with the further processing of the crop as part of a company visit.

Employer connections

If possible, the course introduces the further processing of crops through company visits. The student participates in an event for professional farmers.

Exam schedules

There is no course exam.

Student workload

The course covers 135 hours of student work. Of this, 30 hours have been set aside for student guidance and joint meetings, the rest being spent on independent study.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The course is successfully completed when you have shown that you have mastered the most important things about growing food oats in Finland. In addition, you know the effect of growth factors on oat growth and the importance of seed quality in food oat production. You can choose the best oat varieties for your own cultivation and create a working crop rotation for oats. You can make a suitable fertilization and plant protection plan for oats. You understand the role of red molds in the quality risk of food oats and know how to list red mold management tools. You know the growth rates of oats and the related cultivation procedures, as well as the working machines and stages of oat cultivation. You know the basics of IPM farming as well as Organic farming. You know the factors that affect the production costs of oat growing. Or after choosing an alternative plant, you have similar information about that plant.

Qualifications

-

Further information

The grade of the course is determined on the basis of continuous assessment, ie the tasks to be returned must be performed at an acceptable level.