Aims

The overall aim of this module is to provide the knowledge and skills required to assess and appraise
agricultural management in practice, with particular emphasis on evaluating 'sustainable' production
approaches.
Utilising pre-existing research and commercial platforms at NU Farms, students will investigate and
appraise crop, livestock and soil systems, considering how aspects of precision agricultural
technology can be used to inform assessments and practices.
The module will investigate the impact of farming systems on crop/animal performance and
environmental and welfare gains.

Outline Of Syllabus

1. An overview of rotational design and soil management, and of livestock production
2. General field experiment design and data gathering.
3. Crop and livestock sampling techniques.
4. Soil sampling and processing techniques.
5. Overviews of different management systems in situ at NU Farms related to arable crops and
livestock.
6. The role of Precision Agricultural Technology and agri-technology in supporting on-farm
assessments and practices.
7. Data analysis and reporting

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

• Lectures deliver the basic knowledge needed by students to understand the principles underlying the livestock
and cropping systems utilized in the module.
• Small group activities (i.e. field sampling) provides an opportunity for students to extend and critically
assess lecture and published material and information acquired through their own reading, with information
presented by student groups, and to develop and practice key skills such as team-work, communication and
presentation, questioning leading practitioners and experts and information technology applications.
• Fieldwork and planned field trips will be a demonstration of current practice and involve discussion of
pragmatic solutions to commercial problems.
• The interactive learning environment Canvas will be used to encourage discussion among the students and with
the lecturer. Canvas will also be used to provide links to supplementary material that will enhance the
students’ understanding of the course material.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The module investigates a range of agronomic sub-systems (livestock production, arable crop production, soils, precision agriculture, and the interaction between) within the complex of overall, integrated management systems.
The assessed oral presentation and report are appropriate ways of assessing the students’ combination of
knowledge and understanding acquired over the programme of lectures, practicals, fieldwork and visits. These are
designed to assist, enhance and promote the learning experience and develop key skills in an integrative/holistic rather than compartmentalised manner, by focusing learning around hands-on activities undertaken in 'real world' test platforms at NU Farms.
The students are permitted to frame the circumstance of their report in accordance with their intended progression - many of the candidates intending to apply their learning in practice post gradation. The scenarios are applicable to the students’ ambition, which are geographically diverse.
The presentation is the opportunity for the students to justify the content of their proposals in an interactive
conference. The presentations take place in advance of the report submission and as a consequence are a live test of the reasoning in the report, the audience being invited to query the cognitive and pragmatic aspects of the proposal that will cause the presenters to consider their rational.