Agriculture and the Environment is a unique, “hands-on” course that combines the basics of modern farming with production needs and consumer demands, along with environmental regulations and considerations for future generations.  The balance between these factors defines the sustainable agriculture required to feed over 8 billion people. The course is a mixture of on-site lectures and labs delivered in a full-day format with instruction by several Miner Institute staff, USDA/NRCS personnel and other local agricultural professionals. Topics include introduction to the farmstead, sustainable cropping soil fertility, milk and cheese production, orchard operations, regulations, and value-added farming production. Students take part in regular “Journal Clubs” where they give brief presentations on a wide range of topics in agriculture and the environment (eg. GMOs, biodiesel production, cricket farming for food etc…). One outcome of this course is to prepare students to enter regulatory positions with state agencies (USDA, NRCS….), or within the agricultural industry. This course is taught every fall as part of the suite of courses that comprise the Applied Environmental Science Program.