Dutch livestock farming provides millions of people with daily food such as meat, milk and eggs. Small farms, large farms, modernized, in collaboration with other sectors are often looking for different approaches and products. Innovation and problem solving to continue the success is necessary. How do we respond to customer demand for, for example, healthy and sustainable products? These are issues that you will work on in this minor.

You analyse the production system in a Dutch livestock farm in order to give advice and come up with a workable innovation. Part of the minor is also developing a business plan for a small company related to your innovation.

This means that you must have knowledge of nutrition, health, housing and welfare of the animals. You will learn about farm management in relation to demand. And you will learn basic skills such as problem solving, innovation development, external communication, presenting, project management and teamwork.

Added value:

You will learn how to improve and innovate animal husbandry practices. You will acquire basic skills about doing business, and, after studying and analysing, give advice to support farm management in real live case situation. You will write and submit a real business plan for your own innovative company within the livestock sector.

You will learn:

- To make an analysis of the production system of a Dutch animal husbandry farm based on identification of risk factors;

- To develop specific unique new innovation, by going through the innovation cycle;

- To analyse product and quality management in Dutch animal husbandry farms;

- To develop a business plan for a small company related to your innovation.

Students with at least 2 year Bachelor education in Agriculture or Animal Husbandry.

Provide documents for entry requirements:
Grade list from your current Bachelor program that is showing you are fulfilling the entry requirements.

Through the course website literature will be announced that will also be available web-based or in the library.

30 EC corresponding with 30*28 hours work load = 840 hours

Written tests for each module, as well as a project assignment for each module.

Innovation – VAH231VE - 7 EC
Farm Risk Analysis – VAH232VE - 7 EC
Entrepreneurship – VAH241VE1 - 7 EC
Product and Quality – VAH242VE - 7 EC
Professional Orientation – VAH351VE – 2 EC