2006 Colloquium Poster

Class meets: Thursdays, 11:50-1:45 p.m. in 306 Borlaug Hall

Instructors: Craig Sheaffer, Professor, Dept. of Agronomy & Plant Genetics
  404 Hayes Hall, 612-625-7224, sheaf001@tc.umn.edu

  Deon Stuthman, Professor, Dept. of Agronomy & Plant Genetics
  411 Hayes Hall, 612-625-3709, stuth001@tc.umn.edu

  Courtney Tchida, Teaching Assistant, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
  413 Hayes Hall, 612-625-2738, tchi0003@umn.edu

Course  The Colloquium in Sustainable Agriculture provides a forum for University
Description: faculty and students, and representatives of the farming community to engage in discussions on a broad range of topics related to the sustainability of food production.  The course focuses on economic, environmental, social and political forces that are bringing about changes in farming in the United States.  Throughout the course we will consider how concepts of sustainability influence these changes and the future of agriculture.

 The class format consists of one or two short presentations followed by small- and/or large-group discussions.  Two field trips (done in small groups, arranged by students) to local farms are planned to acquaint students with different farming operations and facilitate interaction with farmers.

Course • to acquaint students with the concepts and goals of sustainable agriculture
Objectives: 
 • to increase students understanding of current environments, social, economic, and political issues that influencing approaches to food production; and

 • to promote students' exposure to diverse perspectives on issues of relevance to sustainable agriculture through interaction with farmers, representatives of nonprofit organizations, agricultural businesses, and University faculty in other colleges and departments.

Reading: Reading material will be assigned prior to each class from The Fatal Harvest Reader. Additional Supplemental Readings will be added for some classes. Please be prepared to interact with guest speakers.
 
Grading: Grading is A-F or S-N and is based on:
• Class attendance and participation, each week reflection and questions on the readings and speaker are due during class (25%)
• Small group farm analysis project, Farms and small groups will be assigned during the second class period (due beginning Nov. 10th)  (25%) 
• Analysis of 2 videos related to sustainable agriculture issues (Due October 6th and November 17th) (20%)
• Food We Eat: Organics assignment  (Due November 3rd) (15%)
• Final Essay: Reflecting on Questions and Answers from Class. Details to follow. (Due December 15th)  (15%)

Grading strategy:
 Letter grades will be based on the following percentages of the total points:

  A  = 95%
  A- = 90-94%
  B+ = 87-89%
  B   = 84-86%
  B- = 80-83%
  C+ = 77-79%
Students are responsible for all information disseminated in class and all course requirements, including deadlines and examinations.
Scholastic misconduct is broadly defined as "any act that violates the right of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, (but is not necessarily limited to): cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, which means misrepresenting as your own work any part of work done by another; submitting the same paper, or substantially similar papers, to meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval and consent of all instructors concerned; depriving another student of necessary course materials; or interfering with another student's work."
Students with disabilities that affect their ability to participate fully in class or to meet all course requirements are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the instructor so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged. Further information is available from Disabilities Services (230 McNamara).
University policy prohibits sexual harassment as defined in the December 1998 policy statement, available at the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. Questions or concerns about sexual harassment should be directed to this office, located in 419 Morrill Hall.
 

Schedule of Topics, Readings and Assignments for the Colloquium in Sustainable Agriculture Fall 2005

Sept. 8  Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture Craig Sheaffer
Reading: A Brief History of Sustainable Agriculture by Frederick Kirschenmann 2004 (handout/ email)
Supplemental Reading:
 Agrarianism by Douglas Hurt 1994 (handout)
America pays a heavy price for king corn by Michael Pollan 2003 (handout)
Boon to Farms, bane to shrimp by Tom Meersman (handout)
Grass Roots The Universe of Home by Paul Gruchow (handout)
Online sources:
 http://www.mda.state.mn.us/      Minnesota Department of Agriculture
 http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn/     Minnesota Agriculture Statistical service
 http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/   2002 Census of Agriculture
 http://www.census.gov/  Census bureau
 http://www.bea.gov/  Bureau of economic analysis

Sept. 15 Farm Policy History    Dick Levins
Reading: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 39 The Whole Horse by Wendell Berry
Supplemental Reading:
 Why don’t we have more sustainable farmers?  By Dick Levins 2000 (handout)
 Who’s getting the money? By Lee Egerstrom 2002 (handout)
 Are 1,000 Acres Part-Time Work? By Danny Klinefelter 2003 (handout)

Sept. 22 Agriculture Landscapes & Human Health: Green Lands, Blue Waters   Don Wyse
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 49 Agricultural Landscapes in Harmony with
Nature by Joan Iverson Nassauer , &  p. 181 Water by Mark Briscoe
Supplemental Readings:  
 Keeping the Stygian Waters at Bay by Dan Ferber 2001 (handout)
 Renville County Manure spill suspected in ‘devastating’ fish kill along creek by Tom
Meersman 1997 (handout)
 
Sept. 29 Globalization of Agriculture, Fair Trade, Subsidies & Dumping Dennis Olson
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 58 Global Monoculture bu Helena Norberg-Hodge & p. 249 Globalization and Industrial Agriculture by Debi Barker
Online Reading:
The Real Costs of Globalization to Farmers, Consumer and Our Food System by John Ikerd http://www.sfa-mn.org/pages/realcosts.html

Oct. 6    Rural Communities    Ben Winchester
Watch Delafield Video- Will be available for check out at the Plant Pathology Library (395
Borlaug Hall), can be checked out overnight or watched there!
Video analysis due!
Reading: The ‘empty middle’ by Bob von Sternberg (handout)

Oct. 13  Energy & Economics     Doug Tiffany 
Reading: The Fatal Harvest Reader p 87 Machine Logic by Jerry Mander & p. 106. The Impossible Race by Hugh Iltis 

Oct. 20  Agricultural Impacts on the Environment Michael Russelle
Reading: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 121 Artificial Fertility by Jason McKenney &
p. 167 Tilth and Technology by Peter Warshall
Supplemental Readings:
 Natural Resources Management and the Second Copernican Revolution by Fred P. Miller
2003 (handout)
 Forecasting Agriculturally Driven Global Environmental Change by Tillman et al. 2001
(handout)
 A Sustainable Agriculture Project at Chesapeake Farms: a six-year summary of weed
management aspects, yield, and economic return by Van Gessel et al. 2004 (handout)

Oct. 27  Modern Agriculture    Tom Anderson
Reading: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 3-36 Seven Deadly Myths of Industrial Agriculture

Nov. 3  Organic Agriculture    Meg Moynihan & Carmen Fernholz
Food we eat Assignment is due!
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 272 Organics at the crossroads by Michael Sligh
Online Readings: An Overview of Organic Crop Production (Read What is Organic Agriculture through Summing Up- follow the arrows to get from one to the next)
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organiccrop.html
 Can Organic Agriculture Save the Family Farm? By Elliot Coleman On the MISA Home
page (www.misa.umn.edu).

Nov. 10   Animal Agriculture     Wayne Martin
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 308 Farming with the Wild by Daniel Imhoff  & p 283 The Ethics of Eating by Alice Waters
 

Nov. 17 Local Foods and Rural Communities  Mary Jo Forbord
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 295 Community Food Security by Andrew Fisher & p. 288 Fully Integrated Food Systems by Rebecca Spector
Online Readings:
The Eye of the Storm by Mary Jo Forbord  http://www.sfa-mn.org/documents/eye.pdf

Nov. 24  No Class Holiday!
 
Dec 1    Farming Philosophies    Mark Shepard
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader p. 65 Farming in Nature’s Image by Wes Jackson &
p. 265 Uncle Ben by Jim Hightower
Handout Reading: Producing Forest-Based Food Products in Permaculture Systems by Mark Shepard
 
Dec. 8  Changing Public Policy & Citizen Participation in Policy Development          George Boody
Readings: The Fatal Harvest Reader  p. 199 Can Agriculture and Biodiversity Coexist? By
Catherine Badley & p. 317 Hope by Wendell Berry

Dec. 15  
Final Paper Due