Students will be exposed to the scale of the organic industry today, including the factors driving interest in organics for both producers and consumers. The foundational principles underlying contemporary organic agriculture will be presented and first hand experience of current organic practices will be provided. In addition, this course will rely on small group mentoring to stimulate independent, learner-centered analysis of selected topics in organic agriculture.

Students will apply organic agriculture principles to the design and concept of agricultural operations, taking into account the interactions of soils, plants and animals with environmental and managerial factors.