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Ag Power and EquipmentAgricultural Power and Equipment is an applied course in agricultural engineering with special emphasis on laboratory activities involving small engines, tractors, and agricultural equipment.
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Course Standards
Occupational Awareness & Safety
1) Consult industry manuals to ascertain the specific safety prevention and control standards
governing the agricultural engineering industry. Demonstrate adherence to recognized
standards, and apply occupational safety concepts across all coursework, such as but not limited
to procedures surrounding general safety, personal safety (such as the use of personal
protective equipment), lifting, transporting, alerting, and reporting.
2) Review common laboratory safety procedures for tool and equipment operation in the
agricultural power and equipment laboratories, including but not limited to accident prevention
and control procedures. Demonstrate the ability to follow safety and operational procedures in
a lab setting and complete a safety test with 100 percent accuracy.
3) Use local news media, organizational websites, and real-time labor market information to
investigate occupations in agricultural power and equipment. Compare and contrast the
knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for employment, as well as the typical level of
education required.
Career Awareness
4) Gather and analyze information from multiple authoritative sources such as the United States
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to develop a written projection of the occupational trends
related to agriculture power and equipment. Supplement the narrative with relevant and
properly cited charts, graphs, and other visual representations.
5) Investigate opportunities to expand and diversify a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE)
program as related to agriculture power and equipment. Accurately maintain an activity
recordkeeping system and apply proper financial recordkeeping skills to summarize records by
completing SAE related applications and reports.
Engine and Motor Mechanics
6) Compare and contrast the first and second laws of thermodynamics as applied to the study of
combustion engines. Analyze the theory of operation and efficiency of internal combustion
engines with regard to fuels, engine displacement, ignition, lubrication, and cooling.
7) Evaluate and optimize engine performance under load and no-load operation, considering the
effects of air temperature, humidity, fuel quality, and engine tuning.
8) Citing technical data and documentation of prior work, develop a written recommendation
outlining a specific task or procedure for a given engine or motor (such as using a three-phase 5
hp electric motor in order to drive a 125-foot conveyor belt for lifting grain to a 60-foot silo).
9) Demonstrate the ability to troubleshoot single-cylinder engines and electric motors. Create a
written estimate of repairs, including parts, labor, time, and total cost.
Agriculture Machinery
10) Recommend the appropriate machinery for a given agricultural application by matching the
mechanical need to the scale and magnitude of the specific task. Using clear and coherent
writing, justify the recommendation based on availability of parts, operational costs,
maintenance, safety, and total cost. For example, recommend the appropriate tractor for a
specified task based on power ratings, engine and transmission systems, hydraulic capabilities,
hitching, and ballasting.
11) Research the basic types of fuel and lubricants; differentiate their chief components,
characteristics and applications as related to agricultural equipment in an explanatory essay.
12) Demonstrate the ability to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair agricultural equipment and create
a written estimate of repairs including itemization of parts, labor, time, and total cost.
13) Compose an informational text comparing and contrasting the types and functions of precision
and advanced technologies (such as geographic information systems [GIS], global positioning
systems [GPS], and unmanned aerial vehicles [UAV]) available to the agriculture industry, citing
technical data where appropriate.
14) Demonstrate in a live setting or in a presentation the ability to safely operate agriculture
equipment, including precision-operated equipment if available.
Hydraulics
15) Write an explanatory text to summarize the components and operational theory of a basic
hydraulic system used in an agriculture setting.
16) Design a hydraulic system to perform a specific task, applying the principles of fluid kinematics
and hydrostatics to outline how the system functions. The design should include specifications
for pumps, pipes, and flow rates.
17) Troubleshoot and repair hydraulic power and control systems used in agricultural equipment
such as piston-driven lifts and compression devices (such as shears, crushers). Document the
parts and labor involved and draft a repair bill for suitable compensation.
Navigation and Surveying
18) Explain how agricultural enterprises employ geographic information systems (GIS) and global
positioning systems (GPS) in their work, including GIS software, GPS receivers, data acquisition,
and spatial analysis of data. Debate the legal, ethical, and economic implications of the use of
these emerging technologies with regard to maximizing the efficiency and efficacy of agricultural
processes, citing specific textual evidence from case studies and news media.
19) Correctly and safely use precision surveying instruments to make measurements of large
acreages. Compile a written survey report for use by a lay reader, supplementing the narrative
with charts, graphs, and other visual representations to aid comprehension.
Occupational Awareness & Safety
1) Consult industry manuals to ascertain the specific safety prevention and control standards
governing the agricultural engineering industry. Demonstrate adherence to recognized
standards, and apply occupational safety concepts across all coursework, such as but not limited
to procedures surrounding general safety, personal safety (such as the use of personal
protective equipment), lifting, transporting, alerting, and reporting.
2) Review common laboratory safety procedures for tool and equipment operation in the
agricultural power and equipment laboratories, including but not limited to accident prevention
and control procedures. Demonstrate the ability to follow safety and operational procedures in
a lab setting and complete a safety test with 100 percent accuracy.
3) Use local news media, organizational websites, and real-time labor market information to
investigate occupations in agricultural power and equipment. Compare and contrast the
knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for employment, as well as the typical level of
education required.
Career Awareness
4) Gather and analyze information from multiple authoritative sources such as the United States
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to develop a written projection of the occupational trends
related to agriculture power and equipment. Supplement the narrative with relevant and
properly cited charts, graphs, and other visual representations.
5) Investigate opportunities to expand and diversify a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE)
program as related to agriculture power and equipment. Accurately maintain an activity
recordkeeping system and apply proper financial recordkeeping skills to summarize records by
completing SAE related applications and reports.
Engine and Motor Mechanics
6) Compare and contrast the first and second laws of thermodynamics as applied to the study of
combustion engines. Analyze the theory of operation and efficiency of internal combustion
engines with regard to fuels, engine displacement, ignition, lubrication, and cooling.
7) Evaluate and optimize engine performance under load and no-load operation, considering the
effects of air temperature, humidity, fuel quality, and engine tuning.
8) Citing technical data and documentation of prior work, develop a written recommendation
outlining a specific task or procedure for a given engine or motor (such as using a three-phase 5
hp electric motor in order to drive a 125-foot conveyor belt for lifting grain to a 60-foot silo).
9) Demonstrate the ability to troubleshoot single-cylinder engines and electric motors. Create a
written estimate of repairs, including parts, labor, time, and total cost.
Agriculture Machinery
10) Recommend the appropriate machinery for a given agricultural application by matching the
mechanical need to the scale and magnitude of the specific task. Using clear and coherent
writing, justify the recommendation based on availability of parts, operational costs,
maintenance, safety, and total cost. For example, recommend the appropriate tractor for a
specified task based on power ratings, engine and transmission systems, hydraulic capabilities,
hitching, and ballasting.
11) Research the basic types of fuel and lubricants; differentiate their chief components,
characteristics and applications as related to agricultural equipment in an explanatory essay.
12) Demonstrate the ability to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair agricultural equipment and create
a written estimate of repairs including itemization of parts, labor, time, and total cost.
13) Compose an informational text comparing and contrasting the types and functions of precision
and advanced technologies (such as geographic information systems [GIS], global positioning
systems [GPS], and unmanned aerial vehicles [UAV]) available to the agriculture industry, citing
technical data where appropriate.
14) Demonstrate in a live setting or in a presentation the ability to safely operate agriculture
equipment, including precision-operated equipment if available.
Hydraulics
15) Write an explanatory text to summarize the components and operational theory of a basic
hydraulic system used in an agriculture setting.
16) Design a hydraulic system to perform a specific task, applying the principles of fluid kinematics
and hydrostatics to outline how the system functions. The design should include specifications
for pumps, pipes, and flow rates.
17) Troubleshoot and repair hydraulic power and control systems used in agricultural equipment
such as piston-driven lifts and compression devices (such as shears, crushers). Document the
parts and labor involved and draft a repair bill for suitable compensation.
Navigation and Surveying
18) Explain how agricultural enterprises employ geographic information systems (GIS) and global
positioning systems (GPS) in their work, including GIS software, GPS receivers, data acquisition,
and spatial analysis of data. Debate the legal, ethical, and economic implications of the use of
these emerging technologies with regard to maximizing the efficiency and efficacy of agricultural
processes, citing specific textual evidence from case studies and news media.
19) Correctly and safely use precision surveying instruments to make measurements of large
acreages. Compile a written survey report for use by a lay reader, supplementing the narrative
with charts, graphs, and other visual representations to aid comprehension.