Ag Continuing Education

Earn college credits in agriculture from the University of Maryland remotely in Southern Maryland during Spring 2019!

SMADC’s Ag Class Partnership Spring 2019 offerings:

INAG 103 – Agricultural Marketing – 3 credits

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) is excited to collaborate with the University of Maryland’s Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) to bring the college course INAG 103 Agricultural Marketing to Southern Maryland. Through the Rural Maryland Council’s Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund Grant (RMPIF), SMADC (a division of the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland), won a grant to assist in increasing agricultural education in Southern Maryland.

This project proposal would make agricultural education from UMD more accessible to the community of Southern Maryland. We believe that encouraging students in the area to consider agricultural and agribusiness certifications and degrees could lead them to explore the idea of enrolling in certificate or degree-seeking programs within UMD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The University of Maryland is the state’s flagship institution of higher education, established in 1856 as the Maryland Agricultural College. As a land-grant institution, the University of Maryland College Park is the premiere location for agricultural academics, research, and extension. Students who enroll in these courses will earn UMD transcripted credits that can be applied toward their Certificate in Applied Agriculture, or bachelor’s degree should they decide to continue their education.

The application deadline is January 14, 2019.

INAG 103: Agricultural Marketing

3 Credits

Course Description:

Principles of market demand are used to develop a consumer oriented market strategy for the agricultural business. Topics include market structures, target marketing, market segmentation, niche marketing and direct marketing. Market concepts unique to agricultural products are also covered.

Learning Outcomes:

When a student completes this course, he/she should be able to:

• Explain how price is determined in a market model by supply and demand.
• Use economic models to demonstrate changes in supply and demand.
• Understand the principles driving consumer decision making on agricultural purchases.
• Identify avenues for conducting market research.
• Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy for a product or service in the agriculture sector.
• Discuss current issues and trends in agricultural markets.

Required Materials

No required textbook. Readings will be available for download and handed out in class.

Course Layout

This class is held in partnership between UMD and SMADC, bringing together students from the College Park campus and remote students in Southern Maryland. The majority of participation will be via online modules on a flexible schedule, with four in-person class meetings throughout the semester. Students who do not have reliable internet access may utilize the SMADC offices where a computer and work desk will be provided upon prior reservation.

Four required in-person classes will be held in Southern Maryland for students participating through the Ag Class Partnership throughout the semester on the following dates:

Wednesday, January 30th, 2019 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
SMADC Office at 15045 Burnt Store Road, Hughesville, MD 20637

Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
SMADC Office at 15045 Burnt Store Road, Hughesville, MD, 20637

Sunday, April 14th, 2019 from 10:00-12:00 p.m.
Dupont Circle Farmers Market at 1500 20th Street NW, Washington DC, 20036

Wednesday, May 15th, 2019 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
SMADC Office at 15045 Burnt Store Road, Hughesville, MD, 20637

Enrollment and Registration Process

This opportunity is open to any student from one of the five Southern Maryland counties: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s & St. Mary’s Counties.

To enroll as a new student in the Ag Class Partnership and register for the course:

1. Visit iaa.umd.edu/apply
2. Complete and mail no later than January 14, 2019:
• The IAA-SMADC Partnership Admission Application Form.
• A check for the $75 application fee, payable to University of Maryland.
• Documentation of high school graduation or the equivalent. A copy of your high school diploma or GED is acceptable.
• The SMADC Scholarship Application Form.
3. Once admitted to the program, return your Enrollment Acceptance postcard to the IAA.
4. Schedule a phone meeting with an academic advisor at the IAA to walk you through the course registration process (you will be contacted after we receive your postcard).

If you are a returning Ag Class Partnership student, contact your academic advisor at the IAA to walk you through the course registration process.

To apply for a scholarship:

SMADC is offering $500 scholarships* on a first come first serve basis to students from Southern Maryland who are enrolled in INAG 103: Agricultural Marketing.

Students may apply for scholarships through SMADC to help with admission costs.

* Scholarships awarded will be funded by additional SMADC funds, not by RMPIF Grant Funds

Costs of the Ag Class Partnership program include:

• A one-time application fee of $75.00
• Standard University of Maryland in-state undergraduate student tuition and fees
  For one 3-credit course: $1,471.00
• Textbook costs will be covered by SMADC

Looking for More?

You complete one or both of the courses offered through this special program – and you want more! There are options for continuing your education at the University of Maryland.

Take another online course in the Fall 2019 semester under the Continuing Education status. You can do this as part of the Ag Class Partnership (pending), or outside of the partnership with INAG106: Pesticide Use & Safety. This course is not currently part of the Ag Class Partnership, and may not have scholarship money available.

Transition to certificate-seeking status at the IAA

After earning your IAA certificate, complete a bachelor’s degree in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland.

Contact IAA Student Services Coordinator Becky Jones

Additional Benefits

By enrolling in this course, Southern Maryland Students will be considered full UMD IAA students, and will be accorded all the benefits that come with.

As University of Maryland students, IAA students have access to a wealth of resources on a world-class campus. Most of these resources are located on the UMD campus in College Park, and many are housed in the IAA’s main building, Jull Hall. Teaching and studying spaces include hundreds of classrooms and laboratories, two computer labs, eight libraries, eight Research and Education Center farms the Research Greenhouse Complex, the agricultural mechanics shop, the Community Learning Garden, the campus Arboretum and Botanical Garden, the Farmers Market at Maryland, the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, and more.

Student support resources include one-on-one advising with IAA faculty, the IAA Student Services Coordinator, AGNR academic peer mentoring, the Health Center, Learning Assistance Services, the Writing Center, the Career Center, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, the Office of Veteran Student Life, and access to hundreds of clubs and intra- and extramural activities.