Organic Agriculture: Theory and Practice
Course: Agronomy (Agron 484X/584X) (Co-listed as Hort 484X/584X, SusAg 584X)
Understanding of the historical origins and ecological theories underpinning the practices involved in organic agriculture. Interdisciplinary examination of crop and livestock production and socio-economic processes and policies in organic agriculture from researcher and producer perspectives. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Prerequisites: 9 credits in biological or physical sciences
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: January 14-May 9
Time: 6-9 pm on Tuesdays
Delivery method: online live
Credit: 3 undergraduate or graduate credits
Tuition: $699 (undergraduate), $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $95
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Agriculture, Master of Science in Agronomy, Master of Science in Agricultural Education
Instructor: Kathleen Delate, Associate Professor
Registration deadline: January 1
Text: All reading material will be available on the Parks Library reserve website (http://www.lib.iastate.edu/class/ers/course.html) or through WebCT.
Optional Text: Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective. 2006. P. Kristensen, A. Taji and J. Reganold. CSIRO Press, Victoria, Australia
Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture. 1990. M. Altieri. Westview Press, Boulder, CO
Developing and Extending Sustainable Agriculture: A New Social Contract. 2006. C.A. Francis, R. P. Poincelot and G. Bird (editors). Haworth Press, New York
Organic Production and Use of Alternative Crops. 2007. F. Bavec and M. Bavec. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL
Agroecology–The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems-Second Edition. 2007. S.R. Gliessman. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL

Crop Growth and Development Course
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 501, section XW
Physiological processes in crop growth, development and yield: photosynthesis, respiration, water relations, mineral nutrition, assimilate partitioning, seedling vigor, light interception and canopy growth, root growth, reproduction and yield.
Prerequisites: Agronomy 114, Chemistry 163, Math 140, and Biology 109 or equivalent.
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: 12/31/2007-04/18/2008
Agronomy 501 will begin on December 31, 2007, which is two weeks earlier than the University Calendar. There will also be no Spring Break for Agronomy 591, so that the semester can finish three weeks earlier than the University Calendar. Finals week will be between April 13 - April 18.
Delivery method: Agronomy Website and CD-ROM
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Tuition: $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $150
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: Allen Knapp, Associate Professor
Registration deadline: 12/10/2007
Reading Packets will be made available.

Crop Improvement
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 511, section XW
Basic principles in the genetic improvement of crop plants. Methods of cultivar development in self-pollinated and cross-pollinated crop species. Required course for the Master of Science in Agronomy degree program.
Prerequisites: Agron 114; Math 140, Chem 163, and Biol 109
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: 12/31/2007-04/18/2008
Agronomy 511 will begin on January 7, 2008, which is one week earlier than the University Calendar. There will also be no Spring Break for Agronomy 511, so that the semester can finish two weeks earlier than the University Calendar. Finals week will be between April 21 - April 25.
Delivery method: online and CDROM
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Tuition: $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $150 (graduate)
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: Arden Campbell, Professor
Registration deadline: 12/10/2007
Text: ISBN: 9780813824284; Breeding Field Crops; J.M. Poehlman and D.A. Sleper; ISU Press, 5th edition - Ames, IA

Soil-Plant Environment
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 512, section XW
Soil properties and their impact on soil/plant relationships. Soil structure, aeration, moisture, and nutrients will be discussed in the context of soil fertility and environmental quality management.
Prerequisites: Agronomy 502
Recommended: Agronomy 501
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: 01/14/2008-05/09/2008
Delivery method: online and CDROM
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Tuition: $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $150 (graduate)
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: Tom Loynachan, Professor
Registration deadline: 12/10/2007
Text:The Nature and Properties of Soils, 14th ed. Prentice Hall, NJ 013227938X.

Quantitative Methods for Agronomy
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 513, section XW
Quantitative methods for analyzing and interpreting agronomic information. Principles of experimental design, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression, correlation, and graphical representation of data. Use of JMP for organizing, analyzing, and presenting data.
Prerequisites: Agron 114, Math 140 and Stat 104
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: 01/07/2008-04/25/2008
Delivery method: online and CDROM
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Tuition: $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $150 (graduate)
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: M.S. Agronomy Program Faculty, Lecturer
Registration deadline: 12/10/2007
Text:Clewer, Alan and Scarisbrick, David. 2001. Practical Statistics and Experimental Design for Plant and Crop Science.
Wiley. ISBN 0471899097. (Paperback)

Weed Biology and Ecology
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 517, section XW
A comprehensive course on nvasive and weedy plant species, their evolutionary ecology and biodiversity that results in exploitation of disturbed, agricultural and managed habitats. The course will explore selection and adaptation of important weedy traits responsible for the success of weeds in agro-ecosystems: soil weed seed banks, weed species population shifts, and crop-weed interactions. The course will focus on the life history and trait basis for colonizing plant species, the foundation for plant community management.
Prerequisites: Agron 317 (Principles of Weed Science), Biology 474 (Plant Ecology)
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: January 14-May 9
Delivery method: online
Credit: 3 undergraduate or graduate credits
Tuition: $699 (undergraduate), $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $70 (graduate)
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Agriculture, Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: John Dekker, Associate Professor
Registration deadline: January 14
Text: Silvertown and Charlesworth. 2001. Introduction to Plant Population Biology. 4th ed. Blackwell Science.
Optional Material: The textbook form of the WWW course materials will be available as a free, down-loadable (.pdf file) on the 517 course web site.

Seed Physiology
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 538, section XW
Physiological aspects of seed development, maturation, longevity, dormancy, and germination. Emphasis on application to seed production, conditioning, and storage
Prerequisites: Admission into the Masters of Seed Technology & Business Program
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: January 14 - May 9 2008
Delivery method: online
Credit: 2 non major graduate or graduate credits
Tuition: $694 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $514 (graduate)
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Agriculture, Master of Science in Seed Technology and Business
Instructor: Mark Westgate, Professor
Registration deadline: January 14
Text: TBA

Agronomic Systems Analysis
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 591, section XW
Analysis of cropping systems from a problem-solving perspective. Case studies will be used to develop the students' ability to solve agronomic problems.
Prerequisites: Agron 511, 513, 531, 532 and 533
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: 01/14/2008-05/09/2008
Delivery method: online and CDROM
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Tuition: $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $150 (graduate)
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program: Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: Dr. Mary Wiedenhoeft, Professor
Registration deadline: 12/10/2007
Text: NA

Current Issues in Agronomy
Course: Agronomy (Agron) 592, section XW
Study and discussion of topics of current interest to the field of agronomy. While Agron 591 deals with agronomics at the farm and landscape level, Agron 592 seeks to address issues on a broader scale including off-farm agricultural impacts.
Prerequisites: Agron 501, 503, 511, 512, 513 and 514
Computer requirements: College of Agriculture recommendations
Dates: 12/31/2007- 04/18/2008
Delivery method: Cd-ROM and http://masters.agron.iastate.edu
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Tuition: $1041 (graduate)
Delivery fee: $150
Computer fee applies--see table
Off-campus program:Master of Science in Agronomy
Instructor: Steve Fales, Professor
Registration deadline: 12/10/2007
Text: -NA-