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Since
beginning this course, I have been brainstorming
several ideas for projects. The first is problem
based whereby the students would be a landowner.
The renter/farmer comes to them and asks to have
a surge valve put on the irrigation well. The
students would have to research surge valves and
how they benefit crop production. What are the
benefits to them as a landlord, to the renter,
to conservation? What would be their
decision?
Another landowner problem: The student would be
asked by their renter/farmer whether they wanted
to rent the land to them 40-60% or 30-70%. The
40-60 plan gives the farmer 60% of the profits
and the owner 40%. Of course, the expenses of
the crop such as fertilizer and herbicides are
also paid in the same ratio. The 30-70 plan
gives the owner 30%, but he pays no expenses.
The pros and con of the two systems would be
analyzed, especially with respect to finances.
The students would make a recommendation.
As a landowner, students would also want to
explore "return on investment". At the end of
the season when all the bills are paid and the
harvest is sold, what is the return on their
original investment? This of course would have
to take into consideration taxes paid, etc. In
connection with this, suppose they were given
the opportunity to buy more land. Considering
the selling price of commodities, what could
they afford to pay for the land and still attain
a certain ROI? They would have to speculate on
future grain prices, land prices, etc.
One other landowner PBL situation: The student
would be a landowner who has a plot of land with
a farmhouse. The house becomes vacant and a
decision has to be made as to whether to seek a
new renter. The house is run down and needs lots
of fixing up. Should the house be renovated and
rented out again? Should it be torn down and the
building site made into farmland? Consideration
needs to be given to the loss of the other
buildings. Another option would be to remove the
home (which will involve some expenses), and
replace it with a doublewide trailer.
Alternatively, should the land be left for
farming? Should it be irrigated with well and
gated pipe? Should a pivot be put on the land? A
question I need answered: Are aerial views
available to include on the website so students
can see the "lay of the land" and all the
details involved.
Finally, I have speculated that there are a lot
of statistical studies that could be done to
help the farmer. A hypothesis could be made,
data gathered, and tests made. This project
would be for a statistics class, whereby they
could perform t-tests using the appropriate
computer software. Other tests could be
performed according to the subject being
studied. The test statistics would be analyzed
as to whether to accept or reject the
hypothesis. Further tests may be appropriately
made, such as comparison tests. This information
has the potential of being very valuable to the
farmer as they could benefit from knowing about
crop yields etc. as effected by various
fertilizers or herbicides or many other factors.
This would be an excellent PBL project for a
statistics class. P.S. This is my favorite idea
at the moment.
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