Agricultural Engineering Courses

The moment we rub our tummies in satisfaction after a junk food binge or a hearty meal, we praise the monopolizing food franchises and hoity toity restaurants as we conveniently forget the source. Credit the assiduousness of the agricultural sector for a change, and if possible, consider lending a hand. The field of agriculture is obviously thriving as we all need food. Approximately fifty universities in the USA have departments of Agricultural Engineering. In countries like India, agriculture constitutes a vital part of the economy contributing over 23% to its Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and over 70% of India total work force is employed in agriculture. An agricultural engineer is essential in uplifting the process of agricultural production. Advanced engineering methods, inventions, technology and equipment steer the arena of farming to a whole new level. Agricultural engineering is a gift to farmers as the improved farm machinery, rural electrification, biogas, robustly designed agricultural products result that result from this practice largely benefit the farmers. If you’ve harboured the prickling urge to make the lives of these diligent farmers easier and make the cumbersome agricultural procedure more efficient, read this article to grab a good idea of agricultural engineering as a course and career prospect.

Courses In Agricultural Engineering

Eligibility And Skills Required
The basic eligibility criteria for those aspiring to be agricultural engineers in the near future must have completed their 10 +2 years of formal education with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and preferably Biology. To become a qualified agricultural engineer one must have a graduate degree (B.E / B.Tech/BSc) which lasts for 3-4 years. If you have discovered a passion in this field a few years late, you can alternatively select a diploma course in agricultural engineering which is typically of 2-3 years’ duration. Candidates are selected for all agricultural engineering courses on the basis of their entrance exam results, either at the separate state level and national level exams, depending upon the institutions requisites. A candidate must possess credible aptitude in science, commendable mechanical prowess and a willingness to work under any given circumstance.

Details Of The course
Courses in agricultural engineering intend to inculcate within students the optimum skills to improve the agricultural sector. This can be achieved with the help of the topics listed below. 

• Sources Of Power On The Farm
• Overload Safety Devices Used In Farm Machinery
• Agriculture And Environmental Technology
• Agricultural Operations Management
• Agricultural & Mechanized Systems Management
• Bio-Resources Engineering Technology
• Sowing, Planting, & Fertilizer Application
• Chaff Cutting, Harvesting, Threshing And Transport
• Testing Of Agricultural Machinery And Equipment
• Cost Analysis Of Implements And Tractors.
• Thermodynamic Principles Of I.C. Engines
• Cooling, Lubrication, Ignition, Intake & Exhaust Of I.C. Engine Systems
• Maintenance & Repair Of I.C. Engines
• Tractors And Power Tillers
• Mechanics Of Human Engineering And Safety In Tractor Design
• Soil And Water Conservation Engineering
• Engineering Properties Of Soils
• Mechanics Of Soil Erosion
• Principles Of Watershed Management.
• Design And Evaluation Of Irrigation Methods
• Heat And Mass Transfer In Agricultural Processing Operations
• Material And Energy Balances In Food Processing Systems
• Machines For Processing Of Cereals, Pulses And Oilseeds

Specializations
On completion of BE/B.Tech, one can pursue an M.Tech in Agriculture. He or she is usually bombarded with fascinating study options such as crop process engineering, firm machinery and power, soil, water conservation and many more. Opportunities for agricultural engineers have extended to areas such as the design of fermentation and cell culture processes. One can avail of graduate certificates in design and analysis of environmental systems that focuses on watershed restoration and assessment.

Career Prospects
Demand for agricultural engineers has taken a largely elevated ascent. From state departments of agriculture to private firms investing money in medicinal and plantation crops, recruitments for these specialists are tremendous! On the contrary, some down to earth agricultural engineers can engage themselves in innovative farming methods as well.

Some Of The Best Institutes Offering Courses In Agricultural Engineering

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India
• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, USA
• Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
• Colleges Of Agricultural Engineering & Technology, Akola, Maharashtra, India
• University of Illinois, Chicago , USA
• Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University, USA