2002-2003 Undergraduate Catalog Course Descriptions - Agricultural Economics

AG E 100. Introductory Agricultural Economics and Business (f, s) 3 cr.
Orientation to agricultural supply businesses, farm and ranch production, food markets, food processing and distribution, and food consumption. Microeconomic principles for managers.

AG E 111. Freshman Orientation 1 cr.
Orientation to university life, including available resources and methods to promote success at NMSU. General exposure to fields in agriculture and home economics. Open to all freshmen and transfer students. Graded S/U.

AG E 200. Special Topics 1-4 cr.
Specific subjects and credits to be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Maximum of 4 credits per semester. No more than 9 credits toward a degree.

AG E 210G. Survey of Food and Agricultural Issues 3 cr.
Survey of food and agricultural issues, including: geography of food production and consumption, human-agricultural-natural resource relations, agriculture in the United States and abroad, modern agribusiness, food safety, food, agriculture, and natural resources policy, ethical questions, role and impact of technology. Same as HNFS 210G.

AG E 236. Agribusiness Management Principles (f) 3 cr.
Description and application of management and financial principles, market planning, and organization theory in small business situations.

AG E 250G. Life with Microcomputers 3 cr. (2+2P)
Provides appreciation of the microcomputer in all areas of life. Applications to informational analysis in a wide variety of social, business, technological, and research situations are presented using DOS and utilities, word processing, electronic spreadsheets, and database systems. Emphasis is on fundamental understanding of how to apply software. Place of the computer in the "larger picture" is emphasized.

AG E 300. Internship 1-4 cr.
Professional work experience under the supervision of a faculty member. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.

AG E 305. Marketing and Pricing Agricultural Products 3 cr.
Description of agricultural processes and functions; food production and consumption patterns; agricultural product prices; nature of competition in agricultural product markets; commodity markets. Prerequisites: ECON 201 or ECON 252. Same as MKTG 305.

AG E 311. Financial Futures Markets 3 cr.
Emphasis on financial instruments, currencies, and stock index futures. Principles of hedging, arbitrage, speculation, technical and fundamental price analysis, and trading strategies. Simulated computer trading game. Same as FIN 311.

AG E 315G. World Agriculture and Food Problems 3 cr.
Survey of food and agricultural issues in the U.S. and other countries. Covers: role of agriculture in economic development; trade in food and agricultural products; global food production, consumption, and marketing patterns; economics of technical change and food assistance; agriculture and the environment. Same as GEOG 315G.

AG E 325. Mastering Financial Agricultural Statements 3 cr.
Understanding, using, and constructing financial statements for agrobusiness analysis. Learn how to produce integrated pro forma financial statements first on paper and then on a spreadsheet. Prepare and link revenue, cost, and financing input assumptions formulas to the financial outcomes on the spreadsheet. Prerequisite: AG E 250G or equivalent experience using spreadsheets. Same as ANSC 325.

AG E 337G. Natural Resource Economics 3 cr.
Gain insight into important natural resource problems of our time. Apply economic principles to problems in the preservation, use, and development of agricultural, range, mineral, water, forestry, fishery, and environmental resources. Understand the use of cost-benefit analysis for government natural-resource projects, policies, and programs. Prerequisite: ECON 201 or ECON 252. Same as ECON 337G.

AG E 355. Community Economic Development 1-3 cr.
Same as PLAN 355.

AG E 370. Agricultural Ethics 3 cr.
Course will consist of analysis and evaluation of current agricultural issues such as animal welfare/rights, water rights, sustainable agriculture, saving the family farm, food safety, foreign agricultural assistance, and others. Alternative perspectives on the issues and policy implications will be discussed.

AG E 380. Agricultural Economics Survey (s) 3 cr.
Survey of businesses and industries involved with agriculture, farming and ranching, environmental and resource concerns. Field trip over spring break. Prerequisite: junior or above standing. Variable fee. Graded S/U.

AG E 384G. Water Resource Economics 3 cr.
Use of economic principles to evaluate current and emerging issues in water resources. Applications focus on use of economic methods of analysis to current policy decisions surrounding agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses of water. Prerequisite: AG E 100 or ECON 252G. Same as ECON 384G.

AG E 385. Applied Production Economics 3 cr.
Marginal economic principles of agricultural production and planning with practical application in describing, analyzing, and profit maximizing agribusiness strategies. Prerequisite: ECON 252 or consent of instructor.

AG E 400. Seminar 1 cr.
Current topics and cases in the agribusiness literature stressing rigorous qualitative analysis of current problems and policy issues. Prerequisite: junior standing or above. May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits. Graded S/U.

AG E 420. Special Problems 1-3 cr.
Special problems in agricultural economics or agricultural business of particular interest to the individual student. Maximum of 3 credits per semester. No more then 6 credits toward degree.

AG E 425. Agribusiness Financial Management 3 cr.
Description and application of techniques and principles of financial management to problem situations faced by small businesses, including capital budgeting, sources and costs of capital, controlling the use of assets, tax management, estate planning, and credit institutions. Prerequisite: ECON 201G or ECON 252G and FIN 306.

AG E 440. Ranch Economics 3 cr.
Economic principles related to western ranch business. Business management, economic characteristics of ranches, ranch land problems and values, and economics of rangeland use. Prerequisite: ECON 201G or ECON 252G.

AG E 445G. Agricultural Policy 3 cr.
Historical and cultural background of food and agricultural policy in the United States. Analysis of food and agricultural problems, policy-making and implementation. Economic evaluation of specific U.S. food and agricultural policy instruments, their domestic and international impacts. Prerequisites: ECON 251G and ECON 252G.

AG E 450. Advanced Microcomputer Applications in Agriculture 3 cr.
Emphasis on advanced farm/ranch and agribusiness personal computer applications including database for management decisions, spreadsheet design, presentation software, word processing, the Windows operating system, and using World Wide Web. Prerequisite: AG E 250G or consent of instructor.

AG E 451. Agribusiness Market Planning 3 cr.
Applications course where self-managed teams develop and present marketing plans for agribusiness firms. Emphasis on integrating the marketing mix, particularly promotional elements. Prerequisites: AG E 305 and consent of instructor. Same as MKTG 451.

AG E 456. International Agribusiness and Food Marketing 3 cr.
Introduces students to the fundamentals of international agribusiness: structure of global food and agribusiness trade, direct foreign investment strategies, exchange rates, channels of distribution, trade lead sources, financing, letters of credit, and export market planning. Prerequisites: ECON 251G or consent of instructor. Main campus only.

AG E 470. Rural Appraisal 3 cr. (2+2P)
Factors affecting land prices, commercial and federal appraisal, procedures used in valuation, field trips for practice in making rural appraisals. Prerequisite: junior or above standing. Same as FIN 470.

AG E 491. Linear Programming Methods 1 cr.
Methods, techniques, and uses of linear and quadratic programming applications in agricultural economics.

AG E 492. Decision Theory 1 cr.
Application of modern decision theory to problems of farm and ranch planning under risk.

AG E 493. Input-Output Analysis 1 cr.
Structure and application of input-output models emphasized with orientation toward regional and macroeconomic analysis. Data requirements, basic model building, interpretation and validation of results. Same as ECON 493.

AG E 494. Benefit-Cost Analysis 1 cr.
Methods, techniques and uses of benefit-cost analysis with applications to private and public agricultural and natural resource investment decisions.

AG E 496. Feasibility Study and Business Plan 1 cr.
Introduction to feasibility studies and its function as an important part of a business plan for agribusinesses. Emphasis on integrating pro forma financial statements, marketing plans, and management plans into a business plan. Prerequisites: ACCT 202, FIN 306, and MKTG 303, or consent of instructor.

AG E 498. Senior Project: Research Proposal 1 cr.
Develop a project plan and select a project advisor. The senior project requires that students independently and creatively apply tools to a problem typical of those which must be solved in their fields of employment. Prerequisite: senior standing; may not be taken for graduate credit.

AG E 499. Senior Project 3 cr.
Completion and presentation of the project developed in AG E 498 under supervision of the project advisor. Prerequisite: AG E 498; may not be taken for graduate credit.