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Abstract
Students studying “fringe” agribusiness sectors (e.g,, supermarkets, textile manufacturers, paper
mills, wholesale nurseries etc.) need more business training. Attempts to serve these sectors by
broadening courses would probably add some topics and reduce others. The result could be less
beneficial for students seeking careers in traditional “core” areas (e.g., agricultural sales, input
supply, agricultural finance, cooperatives, and commodity marketing). Because the needs of these
“fringe” areas are not uniform, “generic” agribusiness courses may not address all their specific
business skill needs. One starting point could be to rotate part of the agribusiness capstone
course so three major topics are covered in depth different semesters: supply chain management,
human resource management, and regulations, public relations, and crisis management.