Program Details
Career Studies Certificate in Smart Farming II
Career Studies CertificateMountain Empire Community College
The Smart Farming Career Studies II is designed to further improve the region’s agricultural productivity by preparing agricultural producers to implement the use of drones, robots, and/or remote sensors. Enabling them to obtain data for better controlling crop growth, preventing losses caused by adverse weather conditions or infectious pests and thus, facilitating the return on investments.
Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:
1. Professionally meet with prospective clients in order to present an overview of the services and outcomes that can be provided through aerial sensing.
2. Visit prospective client’s locations and evaluate the site for mission readiness, fly-ability, and safety.
3. Determine the proper sUAS aircraft and sensor payload to efficiently collect the data needed to provide the client with the desired outcome.
4. Determine the proper mission parameters to use to collect the data such as, flight altitude, speed, forward and side overlap, data storage media, etc.
5. Properly load, balance, and configure sUAS sensor packages and other payloads to carry out the mission.
6. Test sensor packages and other payloads for mission readiness.
7. Practice, perform, and document all preflight Remote Pilot due diligences.
8. Program the mission into the sUAS if mission is to be performed autonomously or if not simulate the mission mentally.
9. Perform preflight inspection procedures to assure airworthiness of sUAS and readiness of sensor packages before the mission.
10. Brief the crew, if any, on their responsibilities and duties before the mission and use checklists as often as possible to avoid mistakes.
11. Properly perform FAA required recording and reporting pertinent to maintenance, flight paths, accidents, and other situations as required.
12. Perform post mission inspections, maintenance, and safe storage procedures on all mission equipment and collected data.
13. Process the collected data to produce the client’s desired outcome/s.
14. Deliver and review the mission outcomes with the client.
15. Plan a data collection mission, equip the drone to carry out the mission, fly the mission and acquire data, process the data, and develop a plan of action based on the results of the processed data.
16. Learn to ground truth the assumptions that you made developing the plan of action.
17. Set up and prepare an agricultural drone for soil/plant health intervention missions.
18. Plan and carry out a waypoint based mission to apply fertilize/pesticide/herbicide/seed to a field.
19. Plan and carry out an A-B point mission to apply fertilize/pesticide/herbicide to a field.
20. Plan and carry out a pre-mapped mission to apply fertilize/pesticide/herbicide/seed to a field.
21. Perform post mission inspections, maintenance, and safe storage procedures on all mission equipment and collected data.
22. Practice collecting data, processing data, developing action plans, and performing corrective/interactive missions on various
row and field crops.
23. Attempt to accurately predict the yield of crops from data collect mid-growing season and near end growing season.
24. Practice fixed wing flight for missions that require large field (100’s of acres) data acquisition.
Program Overview & Guidance
| Program Guidance Element | What You Need to Know |
|---|---|
| Considerations for Selecting Degree | The Smart Farming Career Studies II is designed to further improve the region’s agricultural productivity by preparing agricultural producers to implement the use of drones, robots, and/or remote sensors. Enabling them to obtain data for better controlling crop growth, preventing losses caused by adverse weather conditions or infectious pests and thus, facilitating the return on investments. |
| Considerations When Selecting Courses |
|
| Program Requirements Beyond Specific Courses | |
| Doing More With Your Degree | |
| Program Successes & Highlights |
Program Credit Requirements
The table below provides the requirements to complete this program if you are not following a Transfer Guide. If you have an account and have created a Portfolio, the table includes the "Applied Credits" column. This column shows how the credits you earned based on the experiences you entered may be applied to satisfy these requirements. You can find schools where you can take courses that will transfer and apply to this degree using the Where Can I Find An Equivalent Course feature in the Transfer Tools menu.
A formal determination of credits awarded for your prior learning and their applicability to the degree requirements can only be made by the institution. The formal determination and resulting map may reflect higher or lower number of credits to be completed to achieve this program.
What If I Have An Associate Degree Or Credit For Prior Learning?
| Transfer Guidance Element | What You Need to Know |
|---|---|
| Associate Transfer Degree Completion | The transfer education program, which includes freshman and sophomore courses in arts and sciences and pre-professional education, allows students to transfer into baccalaureate degree programs and four-year colleges and universities. |
Completion of Associate Degree Concurrent with High School | The transfer education program, which includes freshman and sophomore courses in arts and sciences and pre-professional education, allows students to transfer into baccalaureate degree programs and four-year colleges and universities. |
| Credit for Prior Learning | VCCS Policy 5.6.5.1 |
| Did You Know That... |
|
College Level Information
| College Fit Guidance | What You Need to Know |
|---|---|
| Is This College Right For Me? | Mountain Empire Community College’s mission is to provide our region with accessible, quality higher education, workforce training, and community programs to ensure an educated population and globally competitive workforce. |
| Transfer Student Catalog Year | |
| First Year Student Catalog Year | The catalog year is based on the admission term that the student applies for. |
| Applying for Guaranteed Admissions |
Where Can This Degree Transfer
| Institution | Title | Degree | Award Name | Award Level | Delivery Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Virginia Community College | Horticulture Technology, A.A.S. | Associate | Associate of Applied Science | 2-Year | In-Person, Hybrid |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Horticulture Technology: Landscape Design Specialization, A.A.S. | Associate | Associate of Applied Science | 2-Year | In-Person, Hybrid |
| Tidewater Community College | Associate of Applied Science - Horticulture | Associate | Associate of Applied Science | 2-Year | In-Person |
| Virginia Highlands Community College | Associate in Applied Science Degree in Horticulture Technology | Associate | Associate of Applied Science | 2-Year | In-Person, Hybrid |
Careers Where This Degree Applies
| O*Net Code | Name | Description | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25-1041.00 | Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | Teach courses in the agricultural sciences. Includes teachers of agronomy, dairy sciences, fisheries management, horticultural sciences, poultry sciences, range management, and agricultural soil conservation. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research. | Educational Instruction and Library Occupations |
| 25-9021.00 | Farm and Home Management Educators | Instruct and advise individuals and families engaged in agriculture, agricultural-related processes, or home management activities. Demonstrate procedures and apply research findings to advance agricultural and home management activities. May develop educational outreach programs. May instruct on either agricultural issues such as agricultural processes and techniques, pest management, and food safety, or on home management issues such as budgeting, nutrition, and child development. | Educational Instruction and Library Occupations |
| 11-9013.00 | Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train, and supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, and financial and marketing activities. | Management Occupations |
| 37-1012.00 | First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers | Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs. | Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occu |
| 37-3011.00 | Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units. | Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occu |
Cost To Complete