Risks to Crop Production in Agriculture (Coursera)

This course is part of the College of ACES suite of online programs, including the graduate-level course, "Risk and Decision-Making in Agriculture" that can be stacked toward a graduate certificate and graduate degree. To learn more about online programs from the College of ACES and explore ways to apply your Coursera work toward a degree program at the University of Illinois, visit ACES Online @ aces.illinois.edu/online.

What you'll learn

- Crop production cycles for annual and permanent food production crops

- Financial characteristics, types of land ownership, and volatility of the capital intensive agriculture industry

- Personal, external, and food production risks that influence decision-making in agriculture

Syllabus

Course Orientation

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.

Module 1 | Crop Production Cycle

At the conclusion of this module, learners will be able to define a crop, explain the crop production cycles, and describe the characteristics and differences between annual crops and permanent crops.

Module 2 | Financial Characteristics and Risks in Agriculture

At the conclusion of this module, learners will be able to define the characteristics and structure of a farm, explain the financial risks and capital intensity of agriculture, and describe the timing and volatility of cash flow in production agriculture.

Module 3 | Land Tenure

At the conclusion of this module, learners will be able to describe the types of land ownership, explain rental agreement options for agricultural land, and examine concerns of sustainability of agricultural land.

Module 4 | Other Factors Influencing Risk and Decision-Making in Agriculture

At the conclusion of this module, learners will be able to describe personal, external, and farm production risks that influence decision-making practices. Specifically, learners will investigate policy, global trade, energy use, and legal issues of off-farm and on-farm risks.

Course Conclusion

You are ready to complete the final assessment for the course and earn your Coursera certificate!