Development of Agricultural Production Processes (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

0-5

Objective

Purpose of the course

After completing this course, you will be able to choose suitable machinery and equipment chains to achieve the production objectives of an agricultural company. You will be able to search data for meanings relevant to production implementation and interpret their effects to support the development of production at farm level. You will be able to compare and find solutions for performing work in different forms of agricultural production and evaluate the rationality of changing production on the basis of the applicability of machinery, buildings and know-how of a developing farm.



Competencies of the course

Agricultural competence, Technology competence, Energy competence



Study objective of the course

After studying this course, you will know how the machinery and equipment chains needed for the production of agricultural enterprises are dimensioned and on what basis the machine and equipment chain options are chosen to implement production objectives.

Content

Dimensions of labour and energy consumption in agricultural production and machinery chains.

Evaluation of the efficiency of time, land, water, nutrient and energy use of agricultural processes

Materials

Course materials are public open-access materials. Some examples:
Ahokas, J. 2013. Traktorit ja työkoneet. (https://enpos.weebly.com/uploads/3/6/7/2/3672459/traktorit_ja_tykoneet.pdf)
Ahokas, J. & Oksanen, T. 2015 Maamekaniikka. Helsingin yliopisto, Maataloustieteiden laitos Julkaisuja 40.
Rikkonen, P. 2017. Vaihtoehtoisia skenaarioita maataloudesta vuoteen 2030. Luonnonvara- ja biotalouden tutkimus 55/2017.
Lehtonen, H. ym. 2017. Maatalouden rakennekehitys ja investointitarve vuoteen 2030. Luonnonvara- ja biotalouden tutkimus 19/2017.

Teaching methods

This course is targeted to part-time students. Contact lessons consists studying together and going through independent or group assignments. Course assignments includes Excel-exercises, research exercises, planning exercises to own or example farm and reports. The assessment of the course is based on the evaluation of the assignments and there are no exam on this course. You have to pass all the assignments to pass the course.

This course uses Moodle as a learning platform. Student receive a feedback from all study assignments (group or individual).

Employer connections

Course includes farm visit or visit to other suitable operations within topic.

Exam schedules

There is no exam on this course.

Student workload

The course covers 135 hours of student work. 28 hours of this are devoted to contact teaching and 8 h to the study trip, the rest being spent on independent study and assignments.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

1.

After studying this course, you will know how the machinery and equipment chains needed for the production of agricultural enterprises are dimensioned and on what basis the machine chain options are chosen to achieve production objectives.

2.

After studying this course, you will understand how the machinery and equipment chains needed for the production of agricultural enterprises are dimensioned and on what basis the machine and equipment chain options are chosen to implement production objectives.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

3.

After studying this course, you will be able to measure the machinery and equipment chains needed for the production of agricultural enterprises and choose machinery and equipment chain options to achieve production objectives.

4.

After studying this course, you will be able to measure the machinery and equipment chains needed for the production of agricultural enterprises and choose machinery and equipment chain options to achieve production objectives.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

5.

After completing this course, you will be able to apply data on the properties of agricultural machinery and equipment to develop new efficient technological production methods in order to achieve agricultural production objectives and enable future investments.

Further information

Whole course will be scaled to 100 points and every assignment form one share of this. To pass this course you have to return and have all assignments approved and collect at least 50 points. Grade is directly determined by the amount of points for the assignment: 50-59 points = 1, 60-69 points = 2, 70-79 points = 3, 80-89 points = 4, 90-100 points = 5.