Study Guide
Overview and Test Objectives
Field 037: Agricultural Education
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 80 multiple-choice questions |
| Time | 2 hours 30 minutes* |
| Passing Score | 220 |
*Does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial
Test Objectives
| Subarea | Range of Objectives | Approximate Percentage of Questions on Test | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Animal Science | 001–009 | 22% |
| 2 | Plant and Soil Science | 010–019 | 20% |
| 3 | Horticulture | 020–029 | 22% |
| 4 | Agricultural Business and Management | 030–038 | 20% |
| 5 | Agricultural Resources and Careers | 039–045 | 16% |
Hover over each subarea for details of subtest content or see table above.
Sub area 1 22%, Sub area 2 20%, Sub area 3 22%, Sub area 4 20%, and Sub area 5 16%.
Subarea 1—ANIMAL SCIENCE
Objective 001—Understand biological aspects of swine production.
Includes:
- breeds of swine and their characteristics, anatomy, physiology, nutritional requirements, diseases, and parasites
Objective 002—Understand biological aspects of beef and dairy cattle production.
Includes:
- breeds of beef and dairy cattle and their characteristics, anatomy, physiology, nutritional requirements, diseases, and parasites
Objective 003—Understand biological aspects of horse production.
Includes:
- breeds of horses and their characteristics, anatomy, physiology, nutritional requirements, diseases, and parasites
Objective 004—Apply principles of nutrition to livestock.
Includes:
- types and characteristics of livestock feed
- the purposes and characteristics of feed additives
- the selection of appropriate feed and feeding schedules
- the effects of various feeds on animals and animal products
Objective 005—Apply procedures to control the diseases and parasites of livestock.
Includes:
- the symptoms of diseases
- parasites and parasitic infestations affecting livestock
- methods of prevention and treatment, including legal restrictions
Objective 006—Understand animal reproduction and breeding practices.
Includes:
- factors involved in selecting breeding stock
- the principles of genetics in breeding
- procedures related to breeding animals and parturition
Objective 007—Understand livestock evaluation.
Includes:
- criteria for evaluating livestock, live animals, and carcasses
- procedures for judging livestock
Objective 008—Analyze methods of controlling the environment of livestock.
Includes:
- the effect of the environment on livestock
- appropriate facilities for raising and handling livestock
- equipment and procedures for regulating temperature and humidity
- maintenance of sanitary conditions and waste management
Objective 009—Understand livestock and poultry product processing.
Includes:
- types of livestock and poultry products
- wholesale and retail cuts
- types and quality of product packaging
- the principles of quality control
Subarea 2—PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE
Objective 010—Analyze the processes of plant growth and reproduction.
Includes:
- plant nutrition and growth, including use of fertilizer
- the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and sexual and asexual reproduction in plants
Objective 011—Identify the characteristics and uses of field crops.
Includes:
- types and characteristics of field crops
- crop varieties
- market grades of crops
- major uses of field crops
Objective 012—Analyze methods of preparing seedbeds and planting field crops.
Includes:
- the uses and characteristics of various types of seedbed preparation and planting equipment
- types of tillage systems and planting methods and their characteristics
- the selection of appropriate seedbed preparations, planting methods, and crop rotations in various situations
Objective 013—Analyze methods of harvesting field crops.
Includes:
- the uses and characteristics of various types of harvesting equipment
- the selection of harvesting methods in various situations
Objective 014—Identify types of plant pests (e.g., insects, diseases, and weeds) and ways of controlling them.
Includes:
- types and characteristics of plant pests
- methods for the control of plant pests
- proper use, storage, and disposal of pesticides
Objective 015—Identify types of soil and their composition.
Includes:
- characteristics, classifications, and components of soil
- biological, chemical, physical, and other factors affecting soil
- soil maps
Objective 016—Understand drainage and irrigation.
Includes:
- various drainage and irrigation methods and their characteristics and selection
Objective 017—Apply soil-testing methods.
Includes:
- procedures for taking soil samples
- methods of soil testing and their characteristics
- soil-test reports
Objective 018—Apply the principles of soil conservation.
Includes:
- types and characteristics of soil erosion
- methods of soil and water conservation
- topographic and land capability maps
Objective 019—Understand crop product processing.
Includes:
- types of crop products
- wholesale and retail crops
- types and quality of product packaging
- the principles of quality control
Subarea 3—HORTICULTURE
Objective 020—Identify horticultural plants and their uses.
Includes:
- the classification of different types of horticultural plants
- characteristics and appropriate uses of various horticultural plants
Objective 021—Analyze the characteristics of horticultural growing media.
Includes:
- types of horticultural growing media and their characteristics, components, and selection
- methods of mixing media and improving soil fertility
Objective 022—Analyze the growth requirements of horticultural plants.
Includes:
- light, water, pH, nutrient, soil, and other special requirements of plants
Objective 023—Apply procedures for planting, transplanting, propagating, maintaining, and harvesting horticultural plants.
Includes:
- procedures for planting, transplanting, propagating, maintaining, and harvesting plants
Objective 024—Identify types of horticultural plant pests (e.g., insects, diseases, and weeds) and ways of controlling them.
Includes:
- types and characteristics of pests and plant diseases affecting horticultural plants
- methods for their control
- the proper use, storage, and disposal of pesticides
Objective 025—Understand the production of nursery plants.
Includes:
- types of equipment and their uses in nurseries
- types of plants and other products produced in nurseries
- environmental factors affecting nursery production
- procedures for maintaining and improving nursery production
Objective 026—Understand the production of greenhouse plants.
Includes:
- types of equipment and their uses in greenhouses
- types of plants and other products produced in greenhouses
- the facilities, design, and methods for controlling the greenhouse environment
Objective 027—Understand the principles of floral design.
Includes:
- types of plant materials, design materials, and basic designs
Objective 028—Understand the principles of landscaping.
Includes:
- design, planting, and maintenance techniques
Objective 029—Understand the principles of turf management.
Includes:
- types and uses of turf
- turf production methods
- turf maintenance procedures
Subarea 4—AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Objective 030—Apply principles of economics in agricultural business.
Includes:
- the principles of supply and demand
- factors affecting market prices of agricultural products
- the principles of economics involving production costs, labor, income, and profit
- the principles of competition in agricultural economics
Objective 031—Understand the use of credit in agriculture.
Includes:
- types and sources of credit and their characteristics
- the total cost of credit agreements
- the causes and effects of changes in interest rates
Objective 032—Apply business recordkeeping procedures.
Includes:
- types of business records and their characteristics, including computerized systems
- records required for employees
- records required for taxes, and their uses
- the use of appropriate accounting procedures
Objective 033—Analyze the role of the government in agriculture.
Includes:
- the reasons for and effects of government subsidies
- the influence of domestic and foreign demand on agricultural production
- the role of the government in farm, land, and forestry management
- the historical basis of current problems in agriculture
Objective 034—Analyze financial practices in agriculture.
Includes:
- types of taxes and insurance and their effective costs in agriculture
- the causes and effects of financial problems in agriculture
Objective 035—Apply procedures for scheduling and planning agricultural operations.
Includes:
- factors involved in arranging employee work schedules
- product and market planning
- budgeting procedures
- business plans for various types of agricultural operations
Objective 036—Understand business ownership.
Includes:
- forms of business ownership and their characteristics and responsibilities
- the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating a business
- types of agricultural businesses and their characteristics
Objective 037—Identify methods of marketing agricultural products and services.
Includes:
- types and characteristics of agricultural markets and marketing and distribution channels
- regulations related to agricultural marketing
- marketing strategies
- the influence of futures in agricultural marketing
Objective 038—Apply the principles of marketing to agribusiness.
Includes:
- types, uses, and costs of advertising
- the principles of public relations in agribusiness
- ways to establish and maintain good customer relations
- the principles of selling
Subarea 5—AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES AND CAREERS
Objective 039—Apply the principles of conservation.
Includes:
- methods of conserving plants, forests, and wildlife and their habitats
- practices to promote soil conservation and water and air quality
Objective 040—Understand forestry.
Includes:
- types of trees and their characteristics
- types of lumber and other products produced in forestry
- procedures for estimating, measuring, and producing forestry products
- environmental factors that affect forestry production
Objective 041—Understand ecology.
Includes:
- the components, plant succession, climax vegetation, cycle of elements, and energy flow in an ecosystem
- the importance of ecological awareness in agricultural resource management
Objective 042—Understand land-use issues.
Includes:
- different types of land-use in the United States
- processes involving the loss of farm land to nonfarm uses
- issues involved in increasing productive land
Objective 043—Identify the characteristics and functions of vocational student organizations (e.g., FFA).
Includes:
- the purposes of the organizations
- the role and responsibilities of the advisor
- organizational activities
Objective 044—Identify the characteristics and functions of supervised agriscience and natural resource experience programs.
Includes:
- types of supervised student experience programs
- program records and their characteristics
Objective 045—Identify career opportunities and requirements in agriculture.
Includes:
- career areas, opportunities, job titles, and prerequisites for career areas in agriculture
- procedures for securing and maintaining employment in agriculture