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Ness School undergraduate minor highlights

Ness School Minor Highlights

Commodity Risk Management

Commodity Risk Management gives you the skills needed to analyze agricultural commodities, this included the Commodity Risk Management minor focuses on the quantitative skills needed to analyze agricultural commodities – hedging techniques, fundamental analysis, technical analysis, price forecasting, risk analysis, etc. It gives students the tools and strategies that can be used by farmers, elevator manager, merchandisers, brokers and many others in the agricultural industry to help manage risk from the very volatile commodity markets. Graduates going into any agribusiness that is interested in controlling costs and pricing byproducts will benefit from the minor.

Some Courses Included:

AGEC 354 Agricultural Marketing students learn about commodity marketing in AGEC 354 Agricultural Marketing, where they use Commodity Challenge to simulate hedging techniques. Then they apply those skills and deepen their knowledge in the advanced agricultural marketing courses. One particular class that is very popular is AGEC 484 Trading in Agricultural Futures and Options. This class is a hands-on trading class, where students initiate and implement real trades utilizing the POET Student-Managed Agricultural Commodities Fund. They conduct critical evaluation of selected agricultural commodity markets and advocate for prudent trading positions among their classmates.

Possible Careers:

Farm Marketing Consultant, Broker, Farmer or Rancher

Agribusiness Marketing

Agribusiness Marketing minor focuses on developing the skills and knowledge to address the demands of the agricultural sales arena. This includes some advanced selling courses, such as Agribusiness Sales, Personal Selling and Marketing Research, as well as a suite of “product” related courses that students can choose from, including animal nutrition, farm machinery, local foods, seed technology and animal diseases. Anyone interested in a position as a sales representative for any agribusiness or product would benefit from the minor.

Some Courses Included:

AGEC 274 Agribusiness Sales is a new course that was developed as part of the Agribusiness Marketing minor. In the class, students prepare and market an agriculturally based product to customers, applying the eight steps of the sales process. The different approaches to sales based on clients, including feed and food ingredient sales, are emphasized.

Ranch Management

The Ranch Management Minor is a multi-disciplinary program that integrates aspects of financial management, grassland management and livestock management. It was developed as a collaborative effort between the departments of Animal Science and Natural Resource Management and the Ness School of Management and Economics.

Some Courses Included: 

  1. AGEC 271 - Farm and Ranch Management or AGEC 471-571 - Advanced Farm and Ranch Management
  2. AS/RANG 215 - Introduction to Integrated Ranch Management
  3. RANG 205 - Introduction to Range Management
  4. 9 to 10 credits from the following list (at least 1 course must have an AGEC prefix and at least 1 must have an AS prefix):
    1. AGEC 271, 354 or 471-571
    2. AS 264, 474/L, 476/L or 477/L
    3. RANG 321, 374/L or 421-521

Students that enroll in the minor will gain a breadth of knowledge that will prepare them for any number of career paths or help differentiate themselves from colleagues with similar majors. Some example careers would include ranch manager (either as an employee or as a part of a family farm or ranch) or land manager. However, the minor would be an excellent complement for students interested in working for an agency such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management or the Cooperative Extension Service.

Entrepreneurial Studies

Opportunity = Idea + Action. Start here.

Do you want to learn how to move your entrepreneurial ideas into action in a supportive environment? A minor in Entrepreneurial Studies provides both a platform and resources to help students take those first steps.

In the classroom, students learn how to think creatively, recognize opportunities, and identify the resources needed to productively pursue their own ideas. Much of the curriculum emphasizes experiential learning, and the importance of developing opportunity into new ventures by first starting with individual interests, abilities, experiences and social and professional networks.

The entrepreneurial studies program can help you make it happen. Whatever it happens to be.

The curriculum emphasizes innovation, new venture creation and effectual action taking. Students will learn how to start small, build in steps and stages and manage risk. A minor in entrepreneurial studies is open to students in any other academic major who have a desire to gain a foundation in entrepreneurship.

Students in the minor will discover how to start, own and/or operate a business, become exemplary community leaders, and assist others with their own entrepreneurial efforts. The Entrepreneurial Studies minor is designed to equip students with know-how and confidence that can help them pursue their own entrepreneurial aspirations and positively contribute to society via their chosen endeavors.

Some Courses Included:

ENTR 236- Innovation and Creativity- Students learn how to stimulate ad inhibit creativity in themselves and others. Students are encouraged to think outside the box and applying their creativity to real application.

ENTR 338- New Venture Creation- Students build on their entrepreneurial ideas and learn how to structure and run a business successfully. They learn everything from how to evaluate growth to business ethics, market research and financial concepts. Students apply this knowledge by writing individual business and marketing plans.

ENTR 237- Entrepreneurship Development- Students learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur by learning entrepreneurial characteristics, forms of business, and business finances. During this course, students learn about developing goals, doing feasibility analysis and creating a business mission. Students also develop a strategic business plan and implement the business plan with a team.

Possible Careers:

Business owner, business consultant, recruiter, sales and research and development.