Organic Farming is all about sustainability, integrating the principles of ecology, plant science, crop protection, and landscape planning to safeguard our food security for generations in the future. In this course you will be introduced to nature’s systems for cycling water, air, and nutrients through the environment. You will gain an appreciation for biodiversity and the complexity and fragility of food production systems.

Program Highlights

Students who choose the Organic Farming Option in their Agronomy major take many of the same required courses as other students in Agronomy, but prepare themselves for jobs in a wider arena. In addition to crop production, soil fertility and management, weed science, forage crops, and other plant protection courses, students can choose from a series of special courses in their last two years. One is a capstone course in Organic Farming that pulls together information from all the previous courses in a broad approach to production and food systems. There is also a summer travel course to visit and analyze farms in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

Career Opportunities

Careers in Organic Farming span a wide range of employment opportunities in agricultural production systems, practical natural resource management, government service, nonprofit sector, political or international careers. There are many entrepreneurial opportunities in organic farming and sales of niche products. It is increasingly important to understand how to make farming systems more sustainable, meeting federal requirements for environmentally-friendly production methods. Local food systems are emerging that are based on farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture, direct sales from the farm, and internet-based sales. Many new jobs will require a strong understanding of how the whole system operates – including the environmental impacts as well as social and dimensions of rural communities and how they depend on agriculture.

Majors

Agronomy

Horticulture

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List of Classes

Plant Science (HORT 131)

This course will provide the student an introduction to the biology of plants and their application in modern agriculture, landscapes, and sports facilities.

Resource-Efficient Crop Management (AGRO 204)

Today’s agricultural enterprises and those of the future required skilled management. Careful planning in drop design and selection, followed by close monitoring of nutrition, water resources, climate, and plant health is required to operate a profitable farm. The efficient producer integrates knowledge of soils, climate and plant physiology to optimize profitability while minimizing the environmental impact. The end result is a secure, sustainable food supply for generations in the future. This is the course that puts it all together.

Plant Ecophysiology (AGRO 406)

Plants provide our food, our shelter, and our clothing; they clean our water and our air. In this class the student will learn how plants manage to do all of this, and how we can help by taking care of them and keeping them healthy. This course emphasizes the relationship between plants and their physical, chemical, and biological environment. Students will learn about nutrient cycling, plant water relations, energy budgets, and carbon balance with respect to the plant, soil, and greenhouse emissions. There are opportunities to get into the field and use state-of-the-art testing equipment to monitor the health of a specified ecosystem.

Agroforestry Systems in Sustainable Agriculture (HORT 418)

The agricultural landscape of the future will not likely resemble today’s modern farms. One likely scenario will incorporate more trees into the landscape. In this course we will discuss the economic and ecological benefits of trees and scrubs. Students will learn about design and function of agroforestry systems in temperate climates, and how producers can stabilize and enrich their income through the production of timber, fruits, nuts and other specialty crops.

Agroecology (HORT 435)

How is it possible to continue to produce more and more food for a rapidly growing population without irreparably damaging the very environment producing this food? Agroecology is all about sustainability. Agroecology integrates the principles of ecology, plant science, crop protection, and landscape planning to safeguard our food security for generations in the future. In this capstone course you will be introduced to nature’s systems for cycling water, air, and nutrients through the environment. You will gain an appreciation for biodiversity and the complexity and fragility of food production systems.

Agroecosystems Analysis (AGRO 436)

This is a summer travel course that compares ten farms in the Midwest for their productivity, economic viability, environmental impact, and social integration with the local communities. After preliminary reading assignments, students meet for eight days in July to travel and conduct in-depth visits to farms and interviews with farm families in IA, MN, and NE. Working in teams, they develop their own criteria for evaluating these farms and their long-term sustainability. Many students say they learn more in one intensive week on farms than they do in months of classroom study.

Water Quality Strategy (AGRO 475)

In order to sustain our food production for generations we need to protect the land, air and water. In this course, a holistic approach is introduced to the development of strategies for protecting water from sources of contamination. Students will learn the latest methods for analyzing the impact of various strategies on water quality in different systems.

Urbanization of Rural Landscapes (AGRO 489)

This is a course about urban sprawl, the spreading of towns and cities into some of the best farmland in the country. The course includes invited speakers who discuss the economics, the motivation, and the legal dimensions of the loss of agricultural lands. Farmers discuss their viable economic options to stay in farming near cities, or to decide to sell their land and convert that capital into buying more land at a distance from sprawl. Alternative such as smart growth, clusters of houses to preserve farmland, and putting land into permanent easements for farming are discussed.

Organic Farming and Vegetable Production (HORT 496)

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