The Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Agriculture is an interdisciplinary program offered cooperatively by the faculties of the Departments of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences; Biological Sciences; and Resource Economics and Policy. The program is designed for students interested in working in the growing field of ecologically based agriculture in areas of information dissemination, research or production within the public and private sectors; as policy analysts; or as farmers with sound training in natural resource management and economics. The BS degree in Sustainable Agriculture can also be used as preparation for postgraduate study in a variety of disciplines.
The Sustainable Agriculture program stresses how to build soil tilth and fertility through rotations, multiple cropping and nutrient recycling; how to protect water quality and human health by decreasing the need to use synthetic agrochemical; how to manage crop pests and livestock diseases with integrated, ecologically sound strategies; how to create a strong, diversified agriculture that is stable through market and weather fluctuations; how to increase farm profits by decreasing the costs of crop and livestock production. Our web site is: www.umaine.edu/pse.
Black Bear Food Guild:
The Guild is a student-run organization that manages a three-acre certified organic vegetable operation within the University of Maine’s Rogers’ Experimental Fram, located approximately three miles from campus. The Guild markets their produce through a community share-holder plan, at the local Farmers Market, and through a farm stand at the field site. BBFG members make use of Sustainable Agriculture faculty and staff as resources for planning and managing the operation, but the emphasis is on student cooperative decision-making. Students often fulfill their degree requirement for the Field Experience through a summer with the BBFG.
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