|
Why Agricultural
Business? |
|
|
| |
|
It is an exciting time to be an agricultural business student at Morrisville State College. We have developed a number of new courses, strengthened
our relationship with the Equine science program and the School of Business,
and assisted in the development of the
Morrisville State College Agribusiness Center. The success of program
reflects in the success of our students who are highly recruited for
internships with very prominent NY agriculture businesses, financial
institutions, and dairy farm businesses. Examples of those businesses
include:
|
|
|
|
|
One
of every six jobs in the American economy are related to
agricultural and food businesses. The curriculum in
Agricultural Business is designed to provide students with the
technical and business skills necessary to be successful in our
nation's largest industry. Career opportunities in
agribusiness range from managing a dairy/equine farm or to working in
the banking or publishing industries. Ample opportunities
are available in the management of farm supply stores or
cooperatives, agricultural input sales, working in the insurance
or real estate areas, and a number of agricultural processing
and manufacturing industries. Students may also pursue a four-year
degree in
Agricultural Business Development, a new B.B.A. degree that was started
during the 2006 fall semester here at
Morrisville State
College.
The
Agricultural Business major is designed to allow students to
custom-tailor their educational program to fit their own
personal wants and desires. The major is divided into three
tracks to aid in this design process.
- The
Marketing Option allows
students to enroll in a number of courses in the school of business,
while preparing for careers in equine and/or agricultural business by
emphasizing training in management, accounting, marketing, business
organization, and human resource management. By placing more
emphasis in these areas, students are encouraged to develop the
management skills required to be successful in the business environment
of agriculture, today and into the future.
- The
Technology Option allows
students to specialize in a particular discipline, including equine
science, dairy science, crop production/agronomy, horticulture,
landscape, and agricultural engineering. Each of these disciplines
allows the student to develop technical and hands-on skill in a specific
area while developing the business skills required to effectively manage
that technology.
- The
Transfer Option
provides a general curriculum which allows students to
fulfill basic requirements in science, mathematics, and
English before transferring to a four-year school to finish
a Bachelor of Science degree. Elective classes may be taken
in the Agricultural Business area. Popular transfer colleges
include Viginia Tech, Cornell University, Purdue University, and SUNY
Oswego.
The
Agricultural Business program also includes the "Freshman Farm Credit Experience"
where students spend five Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 at the Farm
Credit office in Sangerfield, NY. During the five weeks, students
complete a comprehensive analysis of the “Sam and Sally farm”.
Students learn to analyze financial statements, complete loan write-ups,
and present loan packages to a committee of "Farm Credit" loan officers.
Other new courses include AGBS
305 (Agricultural Financial Decision Making) and
AGBS 405 (Capstone for Farm
Managers and Rural Entrepreneurs). A new bachelor of business
administration degree in
Agricultural Business Development was recently added. This
degree program provides students with the management skills needed to
make effective decisions and develop markets for agricultural products. |
|
|
|
What are
employers saying about our students? |
| |
|
“THANKS SO MUCH for sending Jenn our way! She did a great job with the
All-American database project earlier this year. She is learning quickly and
doing a fantastic job! This will be a good start to her career - learning
the publishing business and getting involved in so many of the projects that
happen here – Backus catalogs, Holstein World, FlashPoint newsletter,
Websites, photo library.” Kelly Driver, Advertising Manager, Holstein
World. |
|
|
|
What are
students saying about our program? |
| |
|
“The Agriculture Business program at Morrisville State College prepared me for the
real world environment. I enjoyed learning about the agriculture industry
from my professors who have hands-on experience in agriculture management,
banking, and marketing.” Jenn Frost, class of 2003 - Currently
employed at Holstein World in Syracuse, NY. |
|
|
|
Campus
Activities |
| |
|
The Agricultural Business students are very active in clubs and campus
activities. Those clubs include the equine, dairy, and agronomy clubs.
Student also participate in a number of off-campus activities and field
trips as demonstrated in the following slideshow.
|
|
