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Choice of Salad Dressino — Mnt nari
Page 4-The Agriculturist-April 13, 1982
Ag. Eco. course
teaches techniques
By KELLI PROCTOR
A new agricultural economics
course is bringing today’s com-
f iuter technology to students —
rom undergraduates to the
Texas A&M University System’s
second-highest agriculture offi
cial.
In the course, students learn
to analyze problems and situa
tions they will encounter in the
real world, said Dr. Kerry Lit-
zenberg, an assistant professor
in the agricultural economics
department at Texas A&M Uni
versity.
Litzenberg, who is teaching
the experimental course in agri
cultural computer use for the
first time this spring, said the
students analyze various topics.
One example might be vehi
cle cost analysis, he said. The
computer gives the student a list
of questions, then the student
obtains results of the analysis by
answering the questions.
“The programs run them
selves, and anyone can learn
how to run the computers,” Lit
zenberg said.
Litzenberg said he knew
there was hope in the future for
his computer class when he
found that one of his students
was Dr. O. D. Butler, Texas
A&M’s associate deputy chan
cellor for agriculture.
“The class is great, and ob
viously something that is
needed,” Butler said.
A University system commit
tee did a study recently and con
cluded that all Texas A&M stu
dents should have some compu
ter background to graduate.
“I decided to take the course
because I figured if students are
required to have computer
knowledge, the faculty should,
too,” Butler said.
The good thing about the
computer class is students are
able to use their agriculture and
business background by writing
programs that solve business
problems, Litzenberg said.
For example, the student
learns to program the computer
to tell the value of cattle in a
feedlot or when to sell a cow for
maximum profit, Litzenberg
said.
Also, the class can see how the
same type of computer is ap-
f died in different industries and
ields, he said. Important ran
chers and executives are invited
to show how computers benefit
their businesses.
The class is now of fered as a
special three-hour course, but
will probably be offered regular
ly beginning next spring, Litzen
berg said. A request for the
course to be placed in the Col
lege of Agriculture curricula has
been submitted to the Texas
A&M University System Board
of Regents.
Response from students has
been encouraging, Litzenberg
said, with the only problem
being the tremendous demand
for the class.
There are now 55 students
enrolled, and more were turned
down than were accepted, he
said. Next fall, about 120junior
An agricultural economics student finishes some home
work on one of the computers on the second floor of the
Agriculture Building. The system was recently installed
specifically for use in a special problems class.
and senior agricultural econo
mics students will be able to take
the class.
There is a major difference
between the computer in the
agricultural economics depart
ment and other computers, Lit
zenberg said.
“Our computer is interac
tive,” Litzenberg said. “That is
once a mistake is made, the com
puter interacts with the prog
rammer and relays a niessageas
to what is wrong.”
Agri-Marketing
Association
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY CHAPTER OF THE NA
TIONAL AGRICULTURAL AND MARKETING ASSOCI
ATION IS AN ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO THE
EDUCATION AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING BY
STUDENTS INTERESTED IN THE FIELD OF AG
RICULTURAL MARKETING, SALES AND PUBLIC RE
LATIONS.
Preparing for PCPA IV
Agri-Marketing Association
TAMU/NAMA Chapter
— For more info call 845-7616
Supports agriculture technical clubs and all
agriculture majors at TAMU
New variety in R.S.
By DAVID HATCH
In response to a need for peo
ple trained in the science of re
claiming badly damaged land
areas, the Department of Range
Science at Texas A&M Universi
ty has created a new option of
study.
“We are training: people to
revegetate areas in semi-arid en
vironments that have been dam
aged by such things as overgraz
ing, mining or the sites of oil and
gas exploration,” said Christ
opher Call, an associate profes
sor of range science at Texas
A&M.
The land reclamation option
is a variation of the watershed
management option. Reclama
tion majors take the basic range
science curriculum, then a
course in mining engineering,
geology, and soil science.
Potential employers for gra
duates of this program are fed
eral and state agencies, private
companies and consulting firms,
Call said.
Energy producing com- f
panics, which are required bv l j
law in many areas to have a re- r;
clamation specialist on handai r
production sites, are a major r
source of employment, he said [
An individual entering the {
field can expect a starting par f
between $18,000 and $20,000
with a bachelor’s degree and ab
out $25,000 with a master's.
There are 10 students nowin I
the land reclamation option, 1“
which has been offered for less I
than a year, (.all said.
TAMU RANGE
SCIENCE CLUB
Meeting 2nd Tuesday of each Month
7 p.m. Km. 112 O&M Bldg.
Spring BBQ April 24, Knights of Columns Hall, 6 p.m.
CALL: Range Science Dept. 845-7331
for information