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Courses - Spring 2023
AGST
Agricultural Science and Technology
AGST401
(Perm Req)
Tractor and Equipment Operation, Safety and Maintenance
Credits: 1
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: PLSC112 and PLSC113; MATH113 or higher MATH course; and must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in AGST400.
Restriction: Must be in the Agricultural Science and Technology major (01010) with priority given to Agronomy students (0101A); and must have earned a minimum of 60 credits; and permission of the Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture.
Additional information: Course location will be the University of Maryland Wye Research & Education Center, Queenstown, Maryland. Because students will be working around machinery with moving parts, there is a strict dress code based on information from the United State Department of Agriculture Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service's Hazardous Occupations Safety Training for Agriculture (HOSTA), National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP) standards. [Contact instructor for more information].
Provides students with basic skills needed to safely operate and maintain farm equipment, such as tractors and implements used in agronomic production. Students will receive introductory background training in the basic safety and operation of tractors through hands-on learning. Emphasis will also be placed on the mechanical functioning of equipment and the functional similarities and differences between gasoline (two-stroke and four-stroke) and diesel engines as well as electric motors as they relate to farm equipment (mobile and stationary). This knowledge will be used to teach students to safely perform basic care and maintenance of different tractor types as well as various implements. Students will also learn basic implement connection and disconnection, including the safe use of implements that employ a power take-off unit. Included in the course will be an introduction to the equipment and use of satellite navigation systems used in agronomic production.