Agricultural Systems Management

Power and Machinery

Instructors in the power and machinery specialty teach students basic operating principles, and the selection, calibration, performance evaluation, power requirements and economics of various agricultural machinery systems. Other topics include hydraulic and electronic systems found on agricultural equipment and recent advances in the developing area of precision agriculture. Graduates with an interest in power and machinery are hired by farming enterprises, large agricultural conglomerates, farm equipment companies, seed companies, chemical companies, agricultural cooperatives and more. A wide variety of opportunities exists for ASM graduates interested in power and machinery.

Soil and Water

The preservation, enhancement and wise use of our soil and water resources are crucial to the future of agriculture. Natural resources are receiving ever-increasing attention by regulatory agencies. Topics covered within this specialty include surveying, hydrology, the impact of alternative uses of land, planning, selection and management of drainage and irrigation systems to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality, waste management, and complete ecological systems. Graduates with an interest in natural resources find employment with local soil and water conservation districts, environmental government agencies, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and with companies and contractors providing related material and services.

Facilities Planning and Management

Rapid changes in the livestock industry, in crop storage systems, and in controlled plant environments have increased the demand for managers, sales-people, and technical support personnel who understand the basic concepts of ever-increasingly sophisticated systems. Students in facilities planning and management learn the basic principles of structures, ventilation and insulation, wood and concrete construction, crop storage, greenhouses, waste management and energy. Graduates with an interest in this area find employment with major livestock operations and companies and contractors providing material and services to support the infrastructures of production agriculture.

Career Placement

Agricultural Systems Management student interns and graduates bring a valuable combination of technical and managerial skills to any employer, and these skills generate a high demand for ASM students in all areas of agricultural support. Average fulltime staring salaries have been ranging from $35,000 – 40,000/year, with companies like:

• Agri Gold
• Andersons
• Andre Land Forming
• Cargill
• Case I.H.
• Con Agra
• E.I. Dupont
• Gilardi Foods
• John Deere
• Kubota Tractor
• Lincoln Electric
• National City Bank
• Ohio Farm Bureau
• SWCD
• Voss Brothers, Incorporated

Program Requirements

Unconditional admission to the ASM major is offered to entering freshmen. Current students transferring into the ASM major must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0. To remain in good academic standing, a cumulative gpa of 2.0 or higher must be maintained. Department classrooms are modern and well-equipped. Instructors for ASM courses within the FAB Engineering Department are fulltime OSU faculty/staff who enjoy teaching. Classes are primarily “hands-on” in ASM major courses. Computer applications are incorporated into class work as well. In addition to the General Education Courses (English, sociology, etc.) required of every student at the university, the Agricultural Systems Management curriculum includes courses in surveying, hydrology, drainage/irrigation systems, agricultural machinery, buildings, farmstead planning, safety, welding, precision agriculture, and concrete and wood construction.

Importance of ASM

The value of the manufactured inputs delivered annually to support production and on-farm processing is $22 billion. Repair and maintenance costs to maintain agriculture’s capital assets average $7 billion each year. The annual cost of new agricultural assets exceeds $12 billion (Source: USDA). Thousands of companies and agencies perform a wide range of services in delivering these physically oriented inputs to nearly two million farms and ranches and thousands of processing facilities which comprise the agricultural production and processing system. These companies and agencies require employees who can respond to changing customer needs.