1. Apply compost or fertilizer.
2. Perform primary tillage.
3. Prepare seedbeds.
4. Lay plastic mulch.
5. Assess field and weather conditions.
6. Perform stale seedbed preparation.
7. Incorporate crop residue into soil.
8. Seed cover crop.
9. Mow cover crop.
10. Terminate cover crop.
11. Perform deep tillage.
12. Maintain non-production areas.

1. Seed vegetable crop into trays.
2. Maintain proper temperature and moisture levels.
3. Maintain proper ventilation.
4. Prepare greenhouse-growing media.
5. Harden off seedlings.
6. Maintain greenhouse equipment & structure.
7. Pot up seedlings.
8. Maintain seedling fertility.
9. Perform greenhouse sanitation.
10. Control greenhouse pests and diseases.
11. Assess germination and seedling growth.
12. Troubleshoot plant performance issues.

1. Consult the field plan.
2. Assess field conditions and plant status.
3. Prepare equipment, supplies, seeds and transplants.
4. Sow vegetable seeds in fields.
5. Transplant crops.
6. Record seedling and planting.
7. Irrigate seeds and transplants.

1. Assess plant health.
2. Prepare equipment and supplies.
3. Determine cultural needs.
4. Prune plants.
5. Thin plants.
6. Blanch plants.
7. Hill plants.
8. Irrigate plants.
9. Apply row cover.
10. Perform side dressing and/or foliar feeding.
11. Record crop maintenance.

1. Prevent weed and weed seed formation.
2. Assess weed pressure, e.g. potential or actual.
3. Identify weeds.
4. Determine weeding method.
5. Perform non-mechanical weeding.
6. Perform mulching.

1. Perform preventative measures.
2. Assess pest and disease pressure, e.g. potential or actual.
3. Identify pests and diseases.
4. Determine control method.
5. Implement approved control methods.
6. Evaluate efficacy of control method.
7. Record control treatment.

1. Assess plant maturity for harvest.
2. Project yield.
3. Prepare harvesting equipment and supplies.
4. Harvest crop to farm standards.
5. Transport crop to processing facility.

1. Clean crop.
2. Cool crop.
3. Sort crop.
4. Pack crop.
5. Store crop.
6. Cure crop.
7. Label crop.
8. Record crop harvest.

1. Examine The Organic And Systems Approach To Vegetable Farming Learning Objectives 1.a. Explore how treating the farm as an ecosystem is fundamental to organic management strategies 1.b. Explain the history and philosophy or organic vegetable growing 1.c. Trace the growth of organic vegetable farming in WI and the US 1.d. Define terms related to organic vegetable farming 1.e. Identify certifications required for organic farms 1.f. Describe organic practices used on farms 1.g. Outline the benefits and challenges of organic vegetable farming in WI 2. Develop A Career Plan Learning Objectives 2.a. Explore career pathways in organic vegetable farming 2.b. Compare the benefits and challenges of being a farm owner vs. a farm manager 2.c. Examine work preferences and work values 2.d. Explain how to maintain a work-life balance 2.e. Describe the project management skills necessary for working as a farm manager 3. Characterize Soil Health: Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties Learning Objectives 3.a. Describe soil properties normally used in evaluating soil health 3.b. Illustrate soil formation properties 3.c. Appreciate soil as a complex system in organic agriculture 3.d. Recognize biological organisms and their role in building soil 3.e. Outline the aspects of soil that can be altered through organic management 3.f. Describe common agricultural practices that impact soil quality 3.g. Infer how differently managed soils impact soil quality and plant growth 4. Create a soil fertility and conservation plan Learning Objectives 4.a. Examine soil nutrients 4.b. Explore organic soil fertilizer inputs and amendments 4.c. Describe the role of compost and organic matter in soil fertility 4.d. Explain how soil tests are used to manage soil fertility 4.e. Interpret soil testing results 4.f. Compare organic vs. conventional soil fertility inputs 4.g. Differentiate between long-term and seasonal soil fertility management 5. Plan crop rotations Learning Objectives 5.a. Describe why crops are rotated 5.b. Define cover crops 5.c. Explore species of cover crops 5.d. Compare the advantages and disadvantages between crop rotations and continuous cropping 5.e. Examine sample crop rotation schedules 5.f. Layout a procedure for crop rotation planning 6. Design a systems approach to preventing weeds, pests and diseases Learning Objectives 6.a. Describe the unique challenges of weeds, pests and diseases for the organic farmer 6.b. Identify common categories of crop pests 6.c. Identify common categories of weeds 6.d. Identify common categories of diseases 6.e. Identify common organic management practices for weeds 6.f. Identify common organic management practices for diseases 6.g. Identify common organic management practices for pests 7. Complete organic certification paperwork Learning Objectives 7.a. Explain the value of organic certification 7.b. Compare organic certifying agencies 7.c. Describe the process of organic certification 7.d. Identify perceived barriers to organic certification 7.e. Examine the organic certification application 7.f. Describe the requirements for organic certification 7.g. Answer commonly asked questions about certification 7.h. Determine which inputs and practices are acceptable to organic certifiers

1. Characterize types of plants Learning Objectives 1.a. Explain the plant classification system 1.b. Identify the major characteristics of plant families 1.c. Identify the families of common crops and weeds 1.d. Identify plant life cycle categories: summer annual, winter annual, biennial, and perennial 1.e. Explain the importance of understanding a plant’s family 2. Design a planting plan Learning Objectives 2.a. Identify tools for creating a planting plan 2.b. Outline the steps in creating a planting plan 2.c. Describe information needed for the plan 2.d. Coordinate with marketing plan to estimate volumes needed 2.e. Review plant spacing, row spacing and bed size 2.f. Estimate area (square feet) needed 2. g. Review desired plant characteristics; days to maturity, disease resistance, etc. 2.h. Recommend planting dates to allow for continual harvest 2.i. Explore season extending strategies 3. Explain the process for growing seedlings Learning Objectives 3.a. Identify the characteristics of starting media 3.b. Describe how seedling cells and tray sizes are determined 3.c. Explain the factors that affect germination 3.d. Relate seeding equipment to a farm's size and scale 3.e. Explain why and how seedlings are hardened off 3.f. Troubleshoot plant performance issues 3.g. Describe the benefits of using transplants 3.h. Identify why some plants are more sensitive to transplanting than others 4. Summarize greenhouse management systems Learning Objectives 4.a. Explain the benefits of greenhouses to organic vegetable farms 4.b. Describe pest management systems 4.c. Differentiate between passive and active environment management 4.d. Characterize the benefits of different types of greenhouses 4.e. Describe irrigation management and delivery in the greenhouse 4.f. Identify the principal heating and cooling systems in the greenhouse 4.g. Examine greenhouse air circulation 5. Assess plant health Learning Objectives 5.a. Identify common problems in the plant 5.b. Compare healthy and unhealthy plant characteristics 5.c. Review when to fertilize a plant 5.d. Explore morphology and physiology of plants 5.e. Identify the parts of a plant 5.f. Identify resources for diagnosing plant problems 5.g. Define terminology related to plant development from germination to senescence 6. Explore irrigation methods Learning Objectives 6.a. List types of irrigation systems 6.b. Explain the importance of drainage 6.c. Determine when irrigation is needed 6.d. Relate the need for irrigation to specific crops 6.e. Explain how irrigation interacts with other methods of plant health 7. Explore cultural practices of organic vegetable production Learning Objectives 7.a. Identify the cultural needs of plants related to sunlight, drainage, water and soil fertility 7.b. Describe good farm practices in field management 7. c. Explain the use of crop specific cultural practices: pruning, trellising, mulching, hilling, etc. 8. Summarize weed, pest, and disease control methods used on organic vegetable farms Learning Objectives 8.a. Identify methods for controlling weeds on organic farms 8.b. Describe methods for controlling pests and disease on organic farms 8.c. Illustrate the life cycles of common agricultural pests and the basic transmission of pathogens 8.d. Describe when control measures should be taken for pests and pathogens 8.e. Identify allowed and prohibited substances for controlling pests and weeds on organic farms 9. Analyze harvest handling processes Learning Objectives 9.a. Relate the importance of post-harvest handling to maintaining crop quality 9.b. Outline basic harvest techniques 9.c. Describe strategies used to maintain harvest quality 9.d. Identify cooling methods for crop storage 9.e. Explain how to maintain food safety and control spoilage during post-harvest 9.f. Recommend optimal crop storage and shipping temperatures 9.g. Troubleshoot common post-harvest issues 9.h. Outline GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) requirements 10. Examine types and maintenance of farm equipment Learning Objectives 10.a. Identify common farm equipment and their uses 10.b. Review safety protocols 10.c. Describe the importance and use of the equipment manuals 10.d. Explore basic equipment maintenance: oil changes, checking fluid levels, breakdown prevention 10.e. Explain how to troubleshoot common equipment problems 10.f. Compare repairing vs. buying new 10.g. Discuss what to consider when buying new or hiring out for repair work

1. Develop a farm marketing plan Learning Objectives 1.a. Differentiate among scale appropriate market channels 1.b. Identify future markets/customers 1.c. Evaluate current markets and trends 1.d. Examine a model marketing plan 1.e. Create a marketing budget 1.f. Review prices typical for the industry 1.g. Explore differences between marketing and sales 2. Evaluate a farm business plan Learning Objectives 2.a. Outline the typical components of a business plan 2.b. Explain the importance of goal setting in the farm business 2.c. Describe the purpose of a mission statement 2.d. Identify sources of capital (short term, long term, loans, grants, etc.) 2.e. Identify costs on the farm 2.f. Describe types of business structures: LLC, Sole Proprietor, etc. 2.g. Examine farm budget options 2.h. Describe how to manage risk on the farm 3. Summarize requirements for a farm recordkeeping system Learning Objectives 3.a. Describe the importance of categorizing expenses for tax purposes 3.b. Review QuickBooks as a tool for recordkeeping 3.c. Review Excel spreadsheets as a tool for recordkeeping 3.d. Identify other tools for recordkeeping (financial and production) 3.e. Identify capital expenses 3.f. Explain depreciation 3.g. Examine the recordkeeping associated with human resource management 3.h. Differentiate between fixed and variable costs 4. Interpret farm financial information Learning Objectives 4.a. Explain the farm business management cycle (plan, implement, control) 4.b. Describe the data necessary for a business analysis 4.c. Explore typical pro-forma financial statements (balance sheet, profit/loss or income statement, statement of cash flows) 4.d. Use ratios to assess the farm's financial situation 4.e. Identify factors that improve profits 4.f. Describe a farm investment analysis 4.g. Examine how to work with farm lenders 4.h. Examine enterprise budgets 4.i. Perform comparisons: partial budgets 4.j. Plan cash flow 4.k. Monitor cash flow