Special Topics in Crop and Soil Science Farming Today for Tomorrow A Seminar Series Concerning Issues of Sustainable Agriculture Bioproducts and Foods in the News CSS 499/599
The overriding theme of  most issues in agriculture today is sustainability in all it's various facets - environment, economics, social impacts.  The OSU Departments of Crop and Soil Science and Food Science and Technology will present an undergraduate seminar series entitled Farming Today for Tomorrow that will deal with a specific theme of agricultural sustainability.		Videotape Speakers and Topics Links to related web pages and other resources Class Requirements and Grading Instructors Archived Lectures

Class Overview - Bioproducts and Foods in the News

This is a one-credit pass/no-pass class consisting of ten videotapes each approximately one hour in length. Each tape is a recording of a seminar pertaining to the new bioproducts industry and was presented during the on-campus CSS199 seminar series offered Winter Term 2007 by the Crop and Soil Science Department of Oregon State University. This seminar series presents both results from scientific research on sustainable agricultural and from the experience of growers seeking to use sustainable agricultural methods in their operations. The theme of the series during the winter quarter 2007 is "Bioproducts and Foods in the News", covering new food crops and new uses for existing crops which have been in the news. Increased production of these commodities or increase in their value can result in enhanced profit value for Oregon farmers and increased viability of farm communities. Seminars will include an over-view of how historical events affect food technology and new products, and subsequent talks on advances in edible and biodegradable packaging, new advances in wine production, beer and brewing, issues concerning food safety, new products form wheat, biochemical decomposition to provide new products from crops, thermal chemical decomposition products from crops, and growth of seed crops in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for biodiesel fuel production. The concluding talk will be on how Oregon state agricultural regulations affect the development of new crops and products.

The course requirements are simple - watch each tape, take a short on-line quiz, and write a 3-5 page final paper on some aspect of Agriculture and Animal Interfaces. Details on these requirements are given below. A web site is maintained for the class with information links.

This class can be accessed through the OSU's teaching and learning portal (Blackboard). Students enrolled in CSS 499/599 classes are encouraged to use this system to participate in on-line discussion groups about issues related to Agriculture and Animal Interfaces with other students in the course.

Students will need to order the videotapes for this course from the OSU bookstore, by calling the toll free number (800) 595-0357. The videos will be sent by mail, or they can be picked up at the textbook counter on the lower level of the bookstore. There is a $25 rental fee for the videos for each class. If the videos are not returned, there is an additional $50 charged to the student’s account. This fee is nonrefundable.

Class Requirements and Grading

The class is graded pass/fail. To pass students must do the following:

1. View all video tapes.
2. Take a short on-line quiz pertaining to the important concepts and ideas presented in the video tape.
3. Write a three-page Final Paper with at least five references (journal article, magazine articles, web page sites, etc.) on the issue of pertaining to Cropping Systems. Examples of a final papers and bibliography are posted on each class Blackboard site. Papers are to have one-inch margins on all sides and be 12 point font, Times Roman, single spaced.
4. Those students who are taking the class for graduate credit (CSS599) a five page Final Paper must be written on a topic relevant to the class material.
5. All Final Paper topics must be approved in advance by the instructor.
6. Grading for the course is based on 100 total points. At least 70 points must be accumulated by the student in order to get credit. There are a total of 45 possible points available from the exams, and 55 possible points assigned to the final paper. Any combination of point will allow the student to pass the course.

Videotape Speakers and Topics

Instructor

Kimberly Hannaway
Expertise Area: Educational Design
Office: Crop Science Building 022
Phone: 541-737-5036
Fax: 541-737-1589
Email: kimberly@oregonstate.edu

Mailing Address:
Department of Crop and Soil Science
Crop Science Building 107
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-3002