By Aspen Deno
Purdue University again is offering a 12-week online course that will provide basic, broad-ranging knowledge of agronomic practices to agribusiness professionals. It begins June 24.
Agronomy Essentials, part of a series of courses of the Purdue Agronomy e-Learning Academy, was awarded the 2015 Award for Excellence in Distance Learning from Purdue University. The class focuses on educating agribusiness professionals who work directly with farmers, individuals needing a better understanding of crop production who work for agricultural companies and those directly involved in production agriculture.
The future will demand that those who work in crop production have a thorough understanding of the entire production system, said Bruce Erickson, Purdue's agronomy education distance and outreach director. He designed the course and is the lead instructor.
"This six-unit course will help anyone who needs a basic understanding of soils, crop nutrients, cropping systems, pest management, crop growth and diagnostics," Erickson said. "Participants will gain an understanding of the issues related to growing crops and how to more effectively understand and communicate them."
The course consists of multiple modules that combine reading, graphics and nearly 100 video lessons to maximize learning through auditory and visual sources. Graduates receive a certificate of completion, and certified crop advisers receive 25 continuing education units.
The course also will be offered one last time in 2015 beginning Sept. 30.
To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/naj4wt9.