This is the first course of two designed to help students gain an understanding of what is needed to establish a productive small farm enterprise.  There will be short field trips to local small farming enterprises.  Classes will also be taught by guest lecturers and local farmers who have been successful at establishing small farming enterprises.  Students in the class will be responsible for working on the Purdue Student Farm to gain practical experience on the topics and concepts being taught in the class.  Typically offered Spring.

SFS 21000 Small Farm Experience I

Small Farm Experience I

This course is a continuation of SFS 21000 and is designed to help students gain an understanding of what is needed to establish a productive small farm enterprise. There will be short field trips to local small farming enterprises. Classes will also be taught by guest lecturers and local farmers who have been successful at establishing small farming enterprises. Students in the class will be responsible for working on the Purdue Student Farm to gain practical experience on the topics and concepts being taught in the class.

SFS 21100 Small Farm Experience II

Small Farm Experience II

This course introduces students to the application of ecological concepts to food production systems and farm management. We will consider species interactions, nutrient and water cycles, regenerative practices, alternative approaches to agriculture, and ecosystem services provided to and by agro-ecosystems.

SFS 30100 Agroecology

Agroecology

Principles of sustainability is an experiential (discussion/debate) course that delivers an expansive overview of the principles of sustainability as they relate to energy and resources, communities, and agriculture. Students will learn to understand and analyze different food and farming systems and how they relate to environmental, economic and social sustainability.  Typically offered Spring.

SFS 30200 Principles Of Sustainability

Principles Of Sustainability

(FNR 31300) (HORT 31110) There has been a significant renewed interest in the investigation of integrated fish-food plant systems. Such systems have a long and rich history, particularly in Asia; and our impending food crisis has kindled an interest in developing aquaponic systems in western countries. Many growers are turning to controlled environment and hydroponic production methods to produce high-value crops in tight quarters. The waste disposal problem of the fish can become the nutrient supply to the plants.

SFS 31100 Aquaponics

Aquaponics

Urban agriculture has the potential to address a range of social, economic and environmental issues including food insecurity, energy conservation, and human health and well-being. During this 5-week course, students will learn about the forces driving urban agriculture as well as the political and biophysical factors constraining it by reading articles, reviewing case studies, and visiting urban farms, vertical farm factories, food pantries, and local food advocacy groups. At the end of this course, students will apply the knowledge they've gained by developing a plan to increase urban agriculture in the greater Lafayette metropolitan area.

SFS 31200 Urban Agriculture

Urban Agriculture

This course will investigate the culinary opportunities of local and seasonal foods and the horticultural demands of producing and marketing them. Dr. Hallett will represent the "farm", giving students a brief overview of the production of local and seasonal foods in Indiana. The "farm" will harvest produce at the student farm and deliver it to the "fork" - Chef Ambarish Lulay - who will work his culinary magic in the teaching kitchens in the HTM department. The focus, from both "sides" of the course will be the importance of niche marketing for farmers and chefs. This course is going to be tasty and fun!

SFS 31300 Farm To Fork

Farm To Fork

This course will compare and contrast the various livestock and poultry systems in the United States.  The course will begin with in depth analysis of the history and structure of prevalent or conventional livestock and poultry production systems followed by a similar analysis of the various alternative production systems currently in use in the US, including organic, grass-fed, and pasture-raised among others.  A heavy focus will be placed on critically evaluating the pros and cons of each system, regulations of both conventional and process-verified systems and potential differences in products resulting from different management and processing systems.  Typically offered Spring.

SFS 31400 Comparative Livestock Production Systems

Comparative Livestock Production Systems

The goal of this class is to encourage students to think of farming systems, including their energy and resource flows, economics and social characteristics, in the ways that ecologists think of ecological systems. How does energy flow through farming systems, and how do resources recycle (or not)? What are the weaknesses of farming systems that could be mitigated by mimicking natural systems? Issues of efficiency, sustainability and resilience will be investigated in the context of permaculture, a theory of food production and landscape design that has an emphasis on perennial crops, low input production, and ecological diversity. The centerpiece of the course will be to further develop the Purdue Student Farm using permaculture principles. Typically offered Spring.

SFS 31500 Principles Of Permaculture

Principles Of Permaculture

The SFS Capstone Project is a directed-learning course that will require students to prepare and present a sustainability analysis of a farm enterprise, most likely the enterprise at which they conduct their required summer internship, and this may be an internship approved at an operation other than a farm. Students will be required to analyze and enterprise taking into account its economic, environmental and social sustainability, and its broader role in sustaining the local and regional economy, environment and community. The analysis will be prepared as a paper and a presentation that will be given to the undergraduates of the SFS program at an SFS program meeting. The paper and the presentation will be prepared in consultation with a faculty mentor from the SFS program committee and will be graded by the faculty mentor. Completion of an approved work or internship experience.

SFS 35100 SFS Capstone Project

SFS Capstone Project

Contemporary topics in sustainable food and farming systems are explored. Topic selection is based on student interest. Permission of instructor required.

SFS 39100 Special Problems In Sustainable Food And Farming Systems

Special Problems In Sustainable Food And Farming Systems

SFS 39100 Food Microbiology

Food Microbiology

Contemporary topics in sustainable food and farming systems are explored. Topic selection is based on student interest. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SFS 39100 Cultures And Agricultures US

Cultures And Agricultures US

SFS 39100 Permaculture Design

Permaculture Design

SFS 39100 Structural Racism American Ag

Structural Racism American Ag

SFS 39100 Boilermaker Sauces & Pickles

Boilermaker Sauces & Pickles

SFS 39100 Struct Racism In American Ag

Struct Racism In American Ag

SFS 39100 Agroecology

SFS 39100 Study Abroad Scotland

Study Abroad Scotland

SFS 39100 Colonialism, Global Food Justc

Colonialism, Global Food Justc

SFS 39100 Fresh Produce Food Safety

Fresh Produce Food Safety

A discussion-based exploration of the history and legacies of structural racism in American agriculture. We will analyze the barriers to success faced by non-white farmers in the US, the structures that have oppressed minority groups in agriculture, and ways in which these forces might be reversed or resisted.

SFS 41100 Structural Racism In US Agriculture

Structural Racism In US Agriculture

This course will uncover the foundations of inequities in access to healthy, nutritious food from the first era of colonization to the modern era of globalization. The course will make students aware of the racial and ethnic inequities in farming and food systems and consider mechanisms of decolonization: resistance against the status quo and the development of new food systems.

SFS 41200 Colonialism, Globalization, And Food Justice

Colonialism, Globalization, And Food Justice

The United States is a vast country encompassing many climates, geographies, and human histories. This course will investigate the diversity of the United States by examining a dozen locations with respect to people-and-place. How have people shaped these places, and how have these places shaped the people who have lived in them?

SFS 41300 The Cultures And Agricultures Of The United States

The Cultures And Agricultures Of The United States

This is an interactive course in science and environmental communication with a strong emphasis on development of practical writing and communication skills for students who will become professionals in environment or natural resources. The public primarily obtains environmental information through the media, as such, scientists need to develop the understanding and skills necessary to engage with a range of audiences through the design of effective communication products. This course provides a unique balance of communication theory and skills training in which students develop the confidence to meaningfully communicate environmental issues. Permission of instructor required if not Junior or Senior standing.

SFS Courses

BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students,
based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!

SFS Courses

.css-1o363pe{width:var(--chakra-sizes-4);height:var(--chakra-sizes-4);}BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students, based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!

BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students,
based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!