This course will aim to help farmers make more educated decisions in grain marketing. Through formal instruction and discussion with their peers, farmers will learn different techniques and methods to market their grain, with an emphasis on risk management.
This is a college course intended for active farmers. Everything you learn in this course can be directly applied to your own farm, and many of the assignments will involve your personal farming operation. There will be tests and assignments but this is a practical course. Sample course topics include determining the cost of production, put and call options, and local basis.
There is a $20 fee when you apply for admission to the college. This is a 3 credit course, with tuition at $168 per credit for a grand total of $504 plus the $20 admission fee.
The course will run from January 10 through June 30, but the majority of the work will be done in January, February and March, before spring work arrives. You will have two weeks to complete each unit, which will involve reading, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Some of the assignments will be on-going throughout the semester. Arrangements can be made if you will be absent.
You first need to apply for admission to the college. You need to apply for admission at the Thief River Falls campus. Only the basic information is needed on the admission form such as name, address, phone and your social security number.
This is an on-line course so you must have some knowledge of how to use the internet. If you were able to find this page, you probably have enough internet knowledge to get through this course. High speed internet is nice, but a 56K modem with dial up access will also work. It is recommended that you have Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher, or Netscape Navigator 6.0 or higher. You must also have Windows 98 or Mac OS X. I also require students to have Microsoft Word and Excel. Microsoft Powerpoint is helpful, but not required. If you do not have these programs on your computer, you can purchase a student version through our bookstore for a greatly reduced rate. You do need to be a registreed student before purchasing the software.
You will be learning through a program called Desire2Learn, D2L. You will have your own username and password, be able to see all grades immediately, take tests on-line, and can honestly go the whole semester without ever talking to someone in person. I will be available for help when you run into problems. It takes a few days and some exploring to discover everything that D2L offers, but it is a very easy program to use. I will have a tips and recommendations sheet available, and there is a user manual available online.