Agricultural Engineering Minor (B.Eng (Biorescource)) (18 credits)
Offered by: Agricultural & Env.Sc.- Dean (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Bachelor of Engineering (Bioresource)
Program credit weight: 18
Program Description
The B.Eng.(Bioresource); Minor in Agricultural Engineering covers the design of systems to produce different types of crops, animal-based products, and biomass. The program focuses on various components of modern agricultural systems, including soil, crop, and animal sciences, agri-food production data, agricultural economics, and engineering design for farm machinery, agri-food buildings, precision agriculture, and agricultural robotics.
A maximum of 9 credits of coursework in the student's Major may be double counted with this Minor.
Required Courses (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BREE 314 | Agri-Food Buildings. | 3 |
Agri-Food Buildings. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Analysis and design of structures to house animals and plants and to process and store animal and plant products. Introduction to environmental control systems and animal waste management. | ||
| BREE 329 | Precision Agriculture. | 3 |
Precision Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course provides an overview of the principle concepts of precision agriculture. It focuses on equipment, software and the information management systems for mastering the essential steps when adopting and developing economically viable and environmentally sound solutions for modern farms and other agribusiness enterprises. | ||
| BREE 412 | Machinery Systems Engineering. | 3 |
Machinery Systems Engineering. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Study and analysis of machines for tillage, harvesting, crop processing and handling. Field tests, load studies, design requirements; design of machines and components for agricultural applications. | ||
Complementary Courses (9-10 credits)
6 credits from the following list:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGEC 231 | Economic Systems of Agriculture. | 3 |
Economic Systems of Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The structure and organization of Canada's agriculture-food system, the operation, financing, linkages, and functions of its components. Focus to be on management of the various components and the entire system, types of problems confronted now and in the future. | ||
| ANSC 250 | Introduction to Livestock Management | 3 |
Introduction to Livestock Management Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the scientific principles underlying animal livestock production as it relates to the consumer food chain. The world- wide demand for animal products, various areas of management (reproduction, nutrition, breeding, health, and welfare) that are used to provide those products by examining both conventional means as well as new and evolving technologies. How these techniques relate to some of the major production systems (dairy, beef, pig, and broiler and egg production) – primarily in a Provincial/Canadian context. | ||
| ANSC 458 | Advanced Livestock Management | 3 |
Advanced Livestock Management Terms offered: Winter 2027 Overview of the major Canadian livestock industries with particular emphasis on dairy, pork, broilers, and layers. Building on introductory livestock management and advanced nutrition, breeding, and reproductive physiology, current and evolving IofT practices for the production of consumer animal products. | ||
| ENVB 210 | The Biophysical Environment. | 3 |
The Biophysical Environment. Terms offered: Fall 2026 With reference to the ecosystems in the St Lawrence lowlands, the principles and processes governing climate-landform-water-soil-vegetation systems and their interactions will be examined in lecture and laboratory. Emphasis on the natural environment as an integrated system. | ||
| PLNT 200 | Introduction to Crop Science | 3 |
Introduction to Crop Science Terms offered: Fall 2026 Application of plant science and soil science to production of agronomic and horticultural crops. Use and sustainability of fertilization, weed control, crop rotation, tillage, drainage and irrigation practices. | ||
| PLNT 307 | Agroecology of Vegetables and Fruits. | 3 |
Agroecology of Vegetables and Fruits. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of selected vegetable and fruit agroecosystems. Includes selection of varieties and management from seedling to harvest to storage. | ||
| PLNT 312 | Urban Horticulture. | 3 |
Urban Horticulture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Selection, use and care of plants in urban environments for the benefit of urban populations: landscape design, turf and green space management, urban trees, green roofs and walls, design and management of community gardens, urban agriculture. | ||
| SOIL 315 | Soil Nutrient Management. | 3 |
Soil Nutrient Management. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Plant nutrients in the soil, influence of soil properties on nutrient absorption and plant growth, use of organic and inorganic fertilizers. | ||
3-4 credits form the following list:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BREE 416 | 3 | |
Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. | ||
| BREE 419 | Structural Design. | 3 |
Structural Design. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Structural Design in steel and timber; application of complete design procedures to working stress design; plastic design for ultimate loading. | ||
| BREE 502 | Soil and Water Resource Engineering | 3 |
Soil and Water Resource Engineering Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Water use in agriculture; soil loss by water and erosion; reservoirs and embankments; water and sediment control structures; water supply; Introduction to drainage; design and construction of drainage systems; irrigation principles; design and layout of sprinkler and drip irrigation systems; subirrigation and water table management; pipe hydraulics, pumps and pumping stations. | ||
| BREE 520 | Food, Fibre and Fuel Elements. | 3 |
Food, Fibre and Fuel Elements. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Analysis and design incorporating the four elements required by organisms and biomass for food, fibre and fuel production (air, earth, energy, and water). Special emphasis will be placed on the demands and requirements of engineering systems to control these elements and allow optimal growth in semi-controlled and completely controlled environments. | ||
| CIVE 311 | Geotechnical Mechanics. | 4 |
Geotechnical Mechanics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The origin and formation of soils. Soil classification systems and phase composition in soils. Stress states in geotechnical materials. Total stresses, pore fluid pressures and effective stresses. Terzaghi's concept of effective stresses. Time-dependent influences of pore pressure development during loading. Water flow in porous media. Darcy's law. Laboratory and field measurement of hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity of soil composites. Deformation of geomaterials. Elastic deformations and consolidation behaviour. Failure of soils. The Mohr-Coulomb criterion. Stress paths. Dilatancy, Taylor's interpretation of stress dilatancy and applications. | ||