Program Information

The primary emphasis of the Farm Business Management Program is to assist farm families in meeting their business and personal goals through quality farm records and sound business decisions. This program is primarily taught at the student’s place of business, but classroom and group instruction are also very important. Individualized instruction is used to the fullest extent. Students are enrolled in the program on a continuous, part-time basis. Normal credit load is 10 credits per year, for the equivalent of 1/3 of a full-time college student. The instructor visits the farm on a regular basis and understands the strengths and weaknesses of each student’s business. Developing a set of sound farm records is the basis for the program. Primarily, computerized accounting is used to handle the complex records, which must be kept in an efficient farm business. At the close of the calendar year, these records are summarized by the instructor and a computerized business analysis is prepared for each student to show how well his/her business did financially during the year. Each student also receives an area Farm Business Analysis Summary, which allows them to compare their information with averages of other Farm Business Management students (farmers) in their local area and around the state. The Farm Business Management Program offering consists of five certificate programs. Each certificate program is 30 credits in length. These programs include Essentials of Farm Business Management, Applications in Farm Business Management, Advanced Farm Business Management, Current Issues, and Agricultural Commodities Marketing Certificate.

Program Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

• Develop a commodity marketing plan;
• Implement the commodity marketing plan;
• Evaluate the commodity marketing plan; and
• Revise the commodity marketing plan.

Special Program Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must meet the following conditions in order to graduate:

• College Cumulative GPA Requirement: cumulative grade point average (GPA) of credits attempted and completed at CLC must be at least 2.0;
• College Technical Core GPA Requirement: cumulative GPA of credits attempted and completed towards the technical core of the diploma or degree must be at least 2.0;
• Residency Requirement: students must complete 25% of their credits at Central Lakes College.

Admissions

The Farm Business Management Program is primarily offered as individualized instruction at the business. Classroom instruction is also offered on a limited basis. Normal credit load is 10 credits per year, for the equivalent of 1/3 of a full-time college student.

Career Opportunities: Students in this program are currently employed in the field, or in the process of starting a business.