Free online agriculture courses are available
through two universities that participate in the OpenCourseWare (OCW)
project and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These courses provide
students with flexible scheduling and cover many aspects of the
agriculture industry.
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Most free courses don't lead to college credit.
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Here's how it works:
1. Watch free video lessons.
2. Take free quizzes.
3. Pass an exam to earn real college credit.
Utah State University, Tufts University and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture offer free online agriculture courses. The courses offered
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are part of a continuing
education program designed for people who are interested in sustainable
agriculture. The other courses listed in this article are part of the
OpenCourseWare (OCW) project that involves many universities, some in
countries other than the U.S. OCW users complete courses without help
from the professor and do not earn credits or receive a grade.
List of Free Online Agriculture Courses
Natural resource conservation is the focus of this course on
agricultural policy and science at Tufts University. OCW users learn how
agricultural conservation affects the ability to have strong and
healthy water, environmental and agricultural systems. Lectures are
available online and cover topics such as the Clean Air Act, erosion,
USDA conservation programs and water pollution. Other resources
available include quizzes, an exam, readings, an image gallery and
additional resources; all are accessible to OCW users.
This OCW course discusses the importance of conserving natural
resources in order to have environmental, food and agricultural systems
that are healthy. Crop breeding, livestock production and plant-pest
interaction are the focus of the course. The course is comprised of 26
lectures, an image gallery for livestock, crop pests and nutrient
management, readings, quizzes and exams; all can be downloaded from the
site.
This OCW course consists of a series of video lectures that give OCW
learners an overview of the evaluation and design of systems for surface
irrigation. The video lectures are presented in both MP4 and WMV
(Windows Media Video) formats. Some of the topics discussed include
irrigation requirement, surface irrigation simulation, SIRMOD surface
irrigation evaluation, design and simulation software (only runs on a
PC) and different surface irrigation systems, including blocked-end and
free-draining. A downloadable textbook is also included in the course's
resources.
USDA developed the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program to help farmers and agriculture professionals with topics
pertinent to the industry. Students enrolled in this free online course
learn about profitable farming systems that are sound environmentally
and benefit communities. In order to participate in this course, a
student must first register.
This free online agriculture course may appeal to learners who want
to know more about how to market and/or manage a farm or ranch business.
The topics covered apply to aspiring business owners who are either in
the transition or start-up phases of developing their businesses. Users
learn about management practices and strategies of marketing, along with
looking at new business ideas. Like the previous SARE course,
registration is required before a student can access the course
materials.
Earn Real Credit from Free Courses
While the free courses above don't award credit directly, there are two widely recognized and
affordable options for students to gain real college credit.
Option #1: Pass a CLEP Exam
The College Board's 33 CLEP exams allow you to test out of
your general education requirements. Credit is accepted at 2/3 of
colleges and universities in the U.S.
Option #2: Prepare a Portfolio
LearningCounts.org helps you prepare a portfolio that
proves your knowledge. A faculty expert then recommends how much credit
should be awarded. The process is call 'prior learning assessment'.
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