Forage Management

This course will focus on practical information for day to day management and decision making of forage crops from crop selection to feed out on a dairy farm. There will be aspects of the course that are specific to northeast U.S. growing conditions and horizontal silos (bunks, trenches, drive over piles) but most of the material will be applicable to any dairy operation and storage structure.

This is a 7-week course offered online using the web-based platform, Moodle.  From the comfort of your home or office, watch pre-recorded presentations on your own schedule.  Engage with speakers during weekly optional live Q&A  sessions. Virtual discussions with class members enhance the overall experience.

Online Classroom

This online course is offered using Moodle, an easy-to-use online interface viewed on your personal computer’s web browser. You will receive information on how to access this system after registering online.

Presentations for each topic are pre-recorded and are accessible whenever is convenient to the participant. An optional live Q & A session with presenters is held on Thursdays each week via an online webinar. These sessions are also recorded and posted in the classroom for those unable to participate at the scheduled time.

Corresponding assignments are due each week. To get the most out of the experience, you should expect to spend approximately two hours per week on the lessons and assignments.

Continuing Education Credits

This course has been approved for a maximum of 2.1 CEUs from the Cornell School of Continuing Education.   Upon completion of this course, you will receive a certificate notifying you of the CEUs awarded.

The following operating systems are supported by our webinar platform, Zoom:

• Mac OS X with MacOS 10.6.8 /(Snow Leopard) or later
• Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10
• Windows XP with SP3 or later, Vista with SP1 or later
• Surface PRO 2 (running Win 8.1) or Surface PRO 3 (running Win 10)
• iOS, Android and Blackberry mobile devices

Browsers that are supported by Zoom:

• Windows: IE 11+, Edge 12+, Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+
• Mac: Safari 7+, Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+
• Linux: Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+

If you are using an unsupported operating system you will not be able to join the live webinar sessions that feature some of the best content of the course, so please do not register for courses unless you will upgrade your operating system before the course begins. Visit the Zoom System Requirements page for further information.

Internet

We recommend that you use a computer with a DSL or cable modem connection, or a mobile device with a fast connection. Satellite connection is also feasible, but may be unpredictable when participating in webinars. Zoom offers additional recommendations relative to internet bandwidth.  Lack of high-speed internet at your home doesn't necessarily preclude participation – participants can join the weekly webinar from their local library or from a friend’s home.

Software

Special software for the course is not required, beyond an internet browser (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, Opera, etc.) and a small free download you will be automatically prompted to complete to access webinars on Zoom. It is helpful, but not strictly necessary, to have Microsoft Office (for Word and Excel documents). Your instructor can provide other options if you don’t have Office.

Hardware

You DO need to have functioning speakers for the webinars but DO NOT need to have a headset or video camera. You should be familiar with the functions of your computer and with browsing the internet. The more comfortable you are with new technology and distance learning, the more you will get out of the course.