11.7: Capstone Project Instructions

Introduction

The Design a Farm project is an applied, team‑based learning experience designed to help students engage deeply with the complexities of modern animal agriculture. This project asks students to think and act like agricultural professionals—balancing animal welfare, environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and economic viability while making decisions grounded in scientific evidence.

This assignment is intentionally interdisciplinary. Students must integrate course concepts with research literacy, ethical reasoning, systems thinking, and collaborative problem‑solving. By designing a livestock operation from the ground up, students encounter the real‑world tradeoffs inherent in agricultural decision‑making and develop a more nuanced understanding of how human, animal, and environmental systems are interconnected.

The project also emphasizes student agency and accountability. While students work collaboratively to design the farm and present a professional pitch, they are individually assessed through a reflective writing component that encourages metacognition, self‑assessment, and professional growth. This reflection is critical in helping students articulate how evidence challenged assumptions, how group dynamics shaped outcomes, and how their own perspectives evolved through the project.

By the end of the Design a Farm project, students should be able to:

• Apply scientific research to real‑world agricultural design decisions
• Evaluate ethical and welfare considerations within production systems
• Communicate complex ideas clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Reflect meaningfully on their learning process and professional skill development

Instructions

Divide the class into five groups. Each group is given one of the five cards below. Using their card, the students then choose a farm type and region to begin designing their farm. Breaking the project up over the course of the semester helps manage student cognitive load and allows instructors to provide actionable feedback to improve each part of this capstone project.