Agricultural Economics (AECN)

Description: Overview of the agricultural and applied economics field, highlighting the broad range of topics that agricultural and applied economists work on. Student involvement (campus organizations, research, and study abroad) and career opportunities will also be discussed.

Description: Academic success and development of leadership skills through involvement and activities on campus. Time management and study skills. Identify potential internship and career opportunities.

Description: Introduction to the scientific, social, and economic dimensions of historical and contemporary water systems. Students will develop an understanding of hydrologic systems and analyze and engage in decision-making about complex challenges associated with water resource use.

Description: Introductory course on the basic principles of agricultural economics. Production economics, principles of supply and demand, resource economics, world food situation, marketing of agricultural products, and agricultural public policy.

Description: Introduction to spreadsheet use, specifically Microsoft Excel. Become proficient at the basic uses of Excel, including data entry, record-keeping, and formula use. Also includes more advanced topics including programming logic, data analysis, and presentation of results.

Description: Various economic principles and business management concepts which are involved in the decision-making process when organizing and operating a farming/ranching operation. Includes production economics, record keeping systems, financial budgets and analysis, crop and livestock enterprise analysis, leasing arrangements, depreciation, farm business organizations, farm investment analysis, pasture/rangeland management, and production efficiency indicators.

Description: Introduction to the foundational concepts and applications of international trade with a strong focus on agriculture and food markets. Establish basic literacy in international trade with applications to agricultural commodity and affiliated markets and policy issues such as tariff-rate quotas and phytosanitary regulations unique to agriculture.

Description: Marketing strategies and entrepreneurship ventures throughout a food systems channel from producers of agricultural commodities to processors of food products and the final consumer. Entrepreneurship studies dealing with food processors, wholesaling, retailing and food service firms. Create strategic marketing plan to introduce a new food product into a retail consumer market.

Description: This course focuses on the foundations of commodity markets. It discusses how markets were created, how commodities are traded from producers to final consumers, the role of transportation and storage, among other topics. It provides a broad and detailed discussion of economic theories behind markets, how they work in practice, and the current state of these markets in the world.

Description: Legal aspects of agriculture: taxation, contracts, property rights, buying and selling real estate, condemnation, land use regulations, leases, co-ownership, partnerships, corporations, commercial transactions, credit, liability, insurance, estate planning, water law, and agricultural regulations. A practical exposure to the legal institutions of Nebraska.

Description: Introduction to environmental and natural resource economics and the role of such concepts in natural resource management. Application of economic principles to actual natural resource/environmental issues with focus on tradeoffs, cost and benefits, and decision making.

Description: Overview of financial issues for agribusiness start-ups. Business funding specific to new enterprises. Case studies on financial practices for start-up firms.

Description: The rural environment and its people; its groups and associations; and its social institutions.

Description: Business record systems for farming and ranching. Financial statements; income tax and decision making; farm business and enterprise analysis.

Description: For students interested in careers leading to managerial positions in the grain, feed, fertilizer, farm petroleum and related agricultural industries. The focus is on the use of financial statements, operating and managerial functions, communication, and the inter-personal work environment within an organization. Presentation is by lecture integrated with experiential learning through use of an agribusiness management simulation.

Description: Foundational elements necessary for understanding and analyzing modern-day trade policy-making, including the origins and evolution of the modern international trading system, U.S. domestic trade policy processes, the interaction between business goals and government policy, and the interplay between trade policy and overall U.S. foreign policy objectives. Analytical frameworks and the opportunity to develop practical skills applicable to any future professional or policy-making setting.

Description: Operation and use of agricultural commodity markets and institutions as applied to enterprise and firm risk management. Cash; futures and futures option markets; basis; hedging; price discovery; fundamental analysis; and risk management strategies.

Description: Study of grain merchandising concepts, tools, and strategies as they relate to grain buyers. Focus on integration of topics from this course and AECN 235 to help students understand how grain is traded from the perspective of the grain buyer.

Description: Builds upon basic agricultural and applied economic knowledge to advance understanding of economic theory and learn how to apply knowledge to address current issues within agricultural markets. Develop critical thinking and analytical skills around applied economic issues and managerial decisions within the agricultural and natural resource industries. Organize, analyze and present quantitative data to support economic decision making in agribusinesses and the food and fiber industry.

Description: History, development, programs, and analysis of public policy issues in agriculture and natural resources. Analysis of science, economic, and political factors involved in policy development. Farm policy and farm structure, food and nutrition, trade and development, natural resources, the environment, and bioenergy, with special attention to issues and policies impacting Nebraska.

Description: Description and economic evaluation of world food systems, including production, distribution, and consumption in developing and industrialized countries. Economic implications of alternative means for meeting world food needs, with emphasis on the social science aspects of the world food availability and needs, policies, and the economics of technological change. Familiarity with spreadsheets (Excel) required.

Description: Environmental impact review; air and water pollution control; solid and hazardous waste control; endangered species and habitat preservation; land use regulation; state and federal water rights law.

Description: Exploration of the nature of traditional agriculture in developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and alternative approaches to accelerating its development. Explores the role of the agricultural sector in the overall development process. Familiarity with using spreadsheets (Excel) required.

Description: Application of economic and social principles and concepts relevant to understanding rural communities and the issues and problems they face. Public decision-making process and the skills necessary for constructive participation in community affairs.

Description: Ethics focusing on agricultural and natural resource issues. Using case studies from the professional workplace and contemporary society, develops intellectual skills necessary to reflect critically on ethical issues and apply appropriate conceptual tools for resolution of issues arising from conflicting ethical and value systems.

Description: Readings, discussion, and analysis of current theory, issues, problems, research, and practice in agricultural economics, natural resource economics, and agribusiness. Topics vary.

Description: Individual or group projects in research, literature review, or extension of course work under supervision and evaluation of a departmental faculty member.

Description: The role of budgeting and linear programming in analyzing farm organization problems, theory of linear programming, linear program design, and analysis of linear programmed solutions to farm organization problems. Includes goal programming, multiple objective programming, risk programming, and financial modeling.

Description: Conduct industry and business research in strategic management of an agribusiness. Internal and external factors and competitive forces, affecting the firm. Integration of concepts from various economic and business disciplines.

Description: Application of basic principles of international trade and finance to food and agricultural trade. Particular attention to current policy issues in agricultural trade such as the pros and cons of regional trade blocks, alternative agricultural and trade policies, the effects of exchange rate variation on agricultural trade, and trade and environmental protection. Familarity with spreadsheets (Excel) is required.

Description: Systems approach to evaluating the effects of current domestic and international political and economic events on agricultural markets.

Description: Marketing: farm, ranch, and agribusiness firm management. Risk management strategies using combinations of derivatives and insurance products. Advanced trading and merchandising strategies using fundamental and technical analysis.

Description: Participants in commodity markets are constantly trying to forecast prices, since a sound analysis of expected prices in the future is important in many dimensions for producers, merchandisers and all market participants. The overall objective of this course is to teach students how to analyze and forecast commodity prices using fundamental and technical approaches. The most common techniques from each approach will be discussed, focusing on how they can be implemented, their advantages and disadvantages, how they differ and how they can complement each other.

Description: Introduction to the application of economic concepts and tools to the analysis and evaluation of public policies. Economic approaches to policy evaluation derived from welfare economics. Social benefit-cost analysis described and illustrated through applications to current agricultural and natural resource policy issues.

Description: Principles and concepts of financial management of farm and agribusiness firms developed. Various strategies for acquiring and using capital resources by the individual firm explored. Institutions providing the sources of agricultural credit are individually studied.

Description: Valuation of agricultural and rural real estate traced from the underlying theory of value through full development of principles, practices, and factors used by the appraisal profession to estimate value. The income approach, the market data approach, and the cost approach to value developed in detail. Appraisal procedure analyzed for such special purposes as farm loans, tax assessment, and condemnation.

Description: Principles of law involved in environmental issues, externalities and market failures, public health, environmental litigation, and legislation. Environmental issues are related to statutory, administrative, and regulatory authorities.

Description: Environmental impact review; public trust doctrine; endangered species; land use controls; wetlands regulation; surface and ground water rights; Indian and federal water rights; impact of water quality regulations on water allocation.

Description: Application of resource economics concepts and empirical tools to resource management problems. Public policy issues involving environmental quality, land and water management.

Description: Topic varies.

Description: Selection of an agriculturally related product or service and the development of a comprehensive marketing plan. Market analysis of physical, economic and financial feasibility and formalization of an effective promotional product campaign.

Description: Further refinement in the development of marketing plan from AECN 471. Condensation of marketing plan into executive summary and preparation of professional oral presentation. Extensive interaction with the local agribusiness community and participation in national agri-marketing competition.

Description: Role of cooperatives in market-oriented economies presented. Topics include cooperative business principles, the economic theory of cooperative pricing decisions, the fundamentals of co-op accounting principles, financing, decision making, and taxation. Focus will be primarily upon traditional agricultural cooperatives; other types of cooperatives will be examined in some detail.

Description: Discuss and dissect issues from the NCBA convention researching the pros and cons of current and proposed policy.

Description: Internship experience in agricultural finance, banking, lending, or management through employment in a financial institution.

Description: Internship experience in food products marketing, supply chain and firm management, and related areas through employment in agribusiness and food products production or marketing firms.

Description: Internship with Congressional delegations or committees; government agencies; non-governmental organizations; or related groups and areas that provides a focus on agricultural or public policy issues and development.

Description: The overall objective of this internship is to allow students to gather more exposure to commodity markets and hands-on experience in the field.

Description: Internship designed to give students hands-on experience in the agricultural industry and agribusiness. Development of practical experience and skills in identifying, understanding, analyzing, and addressing issues and opportunities in the agricultural industry and agribusiness

Description: Conduct a scholarly research project and write a University Honors Program or undergraduate thesis.