Centre for Applied Arts and Sciences
School of Agriculture Sciences
3000 College Drive South • Lethbridge, AB • T1K 1L6
Ph. 403.382.6991 • Fax. 888.520.4255
Toll Free (Canada only) 1.800.572.0103
www.lethbridgecollege.ca
Agriculture Business Risk Management Fact Sheet
*please refer to the website, www.lethbridgecollege.ca/brm for the most up to date information
Who should take the Agriculture Business Risk Management Program?
Agriculture Business Risk Management is right for you if you are an agricultural operator
who desires a better understanding of the fluidity of your commodity pricing or the areas of
financial risk and opportunity in your operation, an aspiring agricultural entrepreneur, or a
farm successor who wants to be ready for the challenge. Or perhaps a lender, salesperson or
government employee who requires an in-depth understanding of the financial risk
inherent in agribusiness.This program will benefit those already in the Agriculture Industry
and who wish to learn more about the business side of operations. It is also useful to those
seeking to enter into careers in Agribusiness, either as an employee, an advisor, or to open
their own business.
What are the entrance requirements?
The program is open to anyone with an interest in Agribusiness. There are no entrance
requirements if you wish to take from one to twelve modules through Open Studies. If you
do not have a high school diploma you can enroll in Open Studies. Upon successful
completion of 3 courses you can be admitted to the Agriculture Business Risk Management
Program. If you wish to take the credential, a high school diploma is required for entrance
into the Agriculture Business Risk Management Program. For the Statistics course, grade 12
math is recommended for success.
What is the Agriculture Business Risk Management Program?
Developed in collaboration with industry experts, Agriculture Business Risk Management
(AgBRM) is the practice of identifying, analyzing and managing the various potential risks
and opportunities to achieve the goals of a business. This program is designed specifically
for application in agricultural business with a strong focus on commodity and risk
management essential to entrepreneurs.
What skill sets will I have after completing the Program?
That depends on which modules and courses you complete. If you completed all the
modules and courses in the program you’d have the following skill sets:
1. Communicate and collaborate with industry stakeholders for the purpose of
developing positive relationships that will assist you in lowering risk and increasing
opportunity.
2. Identify and manage areas of financial risk for an individual agricultural operation.
3. Compose decisive actions through analysis of market data in relation to market
exposure to maximize profit.
4. Interpret relevant cycles and patterns, including supply and demand that effect
agricultural markets.
Revised: 2015/11/18
5. Demonstrate effective self-awareness and self-management skills in the agricultural
industry.
6. Determine individual areas of responsibility within an agricultural operation.
7. Develop and apply appropriate tools to manage risk and opportunity for an
organization.
8. Integrate global awareness into developing a risk policy as it relates to Canadian
agricultural markets.
At the end of the program you will have strong technical skills in currency, market trading
and other risk management tools available to agriculture. You will also have an in-depth
understanding of how current government trade policies and national and international
events effect your commodity. Your well-developed communication and management skills
will allow you to effectively apply your technical skills with proficiency in the Agribusiness
community. A capstone course will allow you to put all you have learned into practice to
demonstrate that you are well-prepared and ready for the challenges of Risk Management
in Agriculture. The courses vary in size from 1.5 credits to 3 credits, with each module
representing 0.75 credits each.
How do I access the program?
The AgBRM program has been designed for online delivery. You will not be required to
attend the Lethbridge College campus. All discussions with the instructor will take place
online as well as completion of all assessments. For computer operating requirements
please refer to the following link http://guides.instructure.com/m/4214/l/82542-whatare-the-basic-computer-specifications-for-canvas
What will I receive after completing the program?
Completion of the program will result in a Credential of Academic Achievement from
Lethbridge College. All courses, except Statistics for Agribusiness, are required for
completion. Approval is pending from Alberta Advanced Education and Innovation for
Certificate status, which allows participants to apply for loans and enhances the
opportunity for transfers into other programs.
Can I take the courses as no-credit?
Yes. If you are not interested in receiving credit for the course, you can audit the course.
This will allow you access to the curriculum, but you will not receive a grade for the
assessments. We do however strongly suggest that you take the course as credit, especially
if you are interested in transferring to another program or Post-secondary Institution in the
future. Statistics for Agribusiness will not be accepted for transfer credit at another
Institution.
Revised: 2015/11/18
Can I take modules instead of the entire course?
Yes, 7 of the 11 courses in the AgBRM program are available now with more modules
available in January. All 3 credit courses will have 4 modules and all 1.5 credit courses will
have 2 modules. To receive credit for a course, all modules must be completed with a
passing grade or through Prior Learning Assessment.
In January 2016, two more courses will be added starting with modules 1 and adding a
subsequent module each month. In May 2015, the two capstone courses will be added to
the offering.
As of May 2015, the full suite of AgBRM modules will be available each month. However,
the capstone courses will be available only at the start of each term. Please refer to the
Program Path document for a full listing of module offerings.
How do I know if I should take the Statistics for Agribusiness course and when should
I take it?
Although the Statistics for Agribusiness course is optional, it is recommended for success in
the AgBRM program. Participants who do not have experience applying statistical concepts
within industry, should take the course before Market Fundamentals, Introduction to
Market Tools, Market Tools, and Currency.
Can I get credits for my experience or prior coursework?
Yes. There are two ways to do this. One is Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) where your
learning is evaluated for a module through any of a variety of assessment tools. You can find
out more about PLA by contacting the Program Chair. Note that there is a fee for evaluation
of PLA. The second way in which you may obtain credit for a course is through transfer
credit. Transfer credit can be awarded for a course completed through another postsecondary institution. You must be admitted to the program and submit official transcripts
along with the course outline for the course to be evaluated for equivalency. The course
must have been completed within the last ten years. There is no charge for transfer credit.
How long do I have to complete the modules?
All modules should be completed within 1 month from the module start date. Each module
would require approximately 3-5 hours per week plus self study. Capstone courses will be
completed over 15 weeks and require approximately 3-5 hours per week plus self study.
Self study includes required readings, research, assessment, etc.
Cancellations - Lethbridge College can cancel a module offering up to 3 business days before
the start of the module. In this case, the participant will receive a refund on module tuition
OR can transfer the tuition to the next month’s offering of that module.
Add/Drop – A participant can add or drop a module within 3 business days of the module
starting without penalty. If a participant drops within the first 3 business days, they will
receive a refund on their module tuition OR they can transfer the tuition to the next month’s
offering of that module.
Revised: 2015/11/18
Withdrawal – A participant can withdrawal from a module within 15 business days of the
module starting. The participant will not receive a refund and will receive a “W” on their
transcript.
Is there a sequence for taking modules?
For many modules, no there is not. Take what interests you in any order. However, it is
recommended that you take the modules in chronological order. In addition, it is
recommended that you take all modules of Introduction to Market Tools before Market
Tools.
Are there prerequisites for any of the courses?
The only courses with prerequisites are the two capstone courses which will be offered as
complete courses and not modules. The Capstone course, Successful Planning for
Agribusiness, will require completion of Effective Communications, Government Policies
and Marketing, as well as Financial Literacy. The Capstone course, Market Equity, will
require completion of Risk Tolerance and Risk Policy, Market Fundamentals, Market Tools,
and Currency.
Program Path
Although most modules can be taken in any month and in any sequence, please refer to the
Program Path document to view two different illustrations of how a participant may
progress through the program. This guide represents an October 2015 start date of the
program. If you are planning to start after May 2016 please refer back to the website in
early 2016 for an updated version.
How do I apply?
You have two options:
Option 1: Register as an Open Studies student.
Step 1: Call the Registration Office at (403)320-3323 or 1-800-572-0103 (menu option #1)
if calling long distance
OR
Stop by the Registrar’s Office at Lethbridge College and register in person (Hours of
Operations 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Wednesdays and Thursdays)
Step 2: Provide staff member with the following information:



That you wish to register as an Open Studies student
Indicate which module(s) you wish to enroll in and the start date of each
Provide credit card for payment of application fee and cost for each module. If
registering in person, payment methods are cash, debit, cheque, VISA or Mastercard.
Revised: 2015/11/18
Option 2: Apply to the Agriculture Business Risk Management program
Step 1: Visit the www.lethbridgecollege.ca/brm program page and click on the link to
apply.
Step 2: Complete Form in its entirety including credit card information if paying application
fee using this method
 Program Choice: Agriculture Business Risk Management Program
 Session Applied for: choose which session you plan to begin enrollment into the
modules. Write the month in which you wish to begin beside it.
 Campus Location: Distance Delivery
 Type of Student: Part Time
Step 3: Once completed submit application to the Admissions Office using one of the
following methods:



Fax to 1-888-819-9803
Scan and email to admissions@lethbridgecollege.ca
Mail to:
Admissions Office
Lethbridge College
3000 College Drive South
Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6
Note: This method will need to be used if sending cheque or money order for
application fee.
Step 4: If you attended high school or other post-secondary within Alberta, the Admissions
Office will be able to request your transcripts for you. If you attended an educational
institution outside of Alberta you will need to forward your transcripts to the Admissions
Office.
Step 5: Once your application has been received, you will be mailed a letter that will include
your log in information. If you do not receive this letter within 7 days of submitting your
application, please contact admissions@lethbridgecollege.ca.
Step 6: Once it was been verified that you are eligible for admission, an Offer of Admission
will be sent to you. Return the Response to Offer by the deadline indicated using the
options above.
Step 7: You can now register into your modules.
Revised: 2015/11/18
How do I enroll in modules?
Registration into modules will be accepted until three (3) business days before the start of
the month in which you want to take the module. You will be able to enroll in multiple
modules within a term if you wish. Please refer back to the website in September for
further information.
Does this Program transfer into another Program?
Not yet, but Lethbridge College, in conjunction with the University of Lethbridge, are
building additional credentials which will incorporate many of the modules in the AgBRM
Program. These future credentials will include a Diploma and a Degree. Stay tuned for
further information on these credentials. We are also looking into transfer opportunities
for some of the courses to other post-secondary institutions.
OK. I’m interested. What will this cost?
Enrollment will be by module with a cost of $183.31 per module. All 1.5 credit courses will
include 2 modules and all 3 credit courses will include 4 modules. The two capstone
courses will only be offered as courses and not modules. Therefore the cost of each
capstone course will be $733.24.Payment is required at time of registration. Please note that
these prices are in effect for offerings delivered between October 2015 and June
2016.Where possible most resources are available within the modules; however some
courses will require the additional cost of textbooks. Fees are subject to change.
I have questions. Who do I ask?
Contact the Program Chair, Dr Edith Olson:
By email atedith.olson@lethbridgecollege.ca
By phone at 403-382-6998
By text to 403-715-0163
By visiting the office: CB 2001 at Lethbridge College
Revised: 2015/11/18