Department Overview

Instruction

The Department of Soil Science offers over 40 courses at levels ranging from introductory for non-majors, to advanced courses for majors in soils and allied disciplines. Departmental course offerings are periodically revised and updated, and new courses are developed to serve today's students.

The Department of Soil Science is housed in King Hall and the Hiram Smith Annex. It is part of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS).

The department's graduate seminar series each semester focuses on topical issues and provides an exciting forum for faculty and graduate students to exchange ideas and information on a continuing basis.

All faculty members with research appointments advise graduate students enrolled in M.S. and Ph.D. programs.

Research

Departmental research spans the breadth of soil-related recreational, forestry and environmental-protection and production agriculture endeavors, in addition to many basic-science and theoretical investigations.

Graduate students are encouraged to inquire about these and other on-going research investigations to expand their understanding of soil science. Brief summaries of faculty research interests can be found here.

Many departmental research activities emphasize environmental problems related to soils and groundwater. These include:

- disposal of municipal and industrial wastes
- movement and degradation of plant nutrient and pesticide residues in soils
- development of innovative small-scale waste systems
- effects of soil erosion and compaction on crop productivity
- selection of best management practices for energy and resource conservation,
farm profitability, and minimizing surface water contamination
- assessment, prevention and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water contamination
- soil management and cropping systems for sustainable agriculture

Extension

New programs are directed toward soils-related environmental issues in both rural and urban settings. Some examples include soil conservation and concerns with nonpoint pollution, utilization or disposal of wastes on land, the fate of plant nutrients and pesticides in the environment, and many controversial land-use issues. Faculty work with many nontraditional clientele groups such as citizen committees, regulatory and other governmental agencies and planning commissions, while continuing to provide farmers and agribusiness representatives with educational and diagnostic service programs to improve soil and crop management. See our Support Facilities for an overview of our diagnostic services, using the latest in instrumental analysis, data manipulation, and research information.

Important crop production research continues with emphasis on improving input efficiency to assure competitiveness in today's farm markets. The Wisconsin Fertilizer Council and other organizations sponsor and support research on such practical subjects as liming and nutrient availability use, soil compaction-nutrient interactions, and efficient use of manure and legume nitrogen contributions in various crop rotations.

Visit the Extension Website

International Programs

For decades the Department of Soil Science has made significant contributions to international agriculture. The limited and fragile nature of the resources that farmers control in developing countries requires research on new approaches to managing soil and water. The department offers a M.S. degree in soil and water technology for sustainable agriculture which emphasizes studies in different agroecological zones. CALS has cooperative agreements with the University of the West Indies, Trinidad; the Institut Pertanian, Bogor, Indonesia; Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion Ensenanza (CATIE), Costa Rica; Visoyas State College of Agriculture, Philippines; and The Gambia Agricultural Research and Diversification Project, Banjul, The Gambia, Africa.

Department Equipment

The Department of Soil Science, within the labs of its three buildings, hosts an array of modern instrumentation required to perform its research. Additional facilities exist through collaborative arrangements with other research labs on campus and CALS Agricultural Research stations. Further information can be found on the Facilities and Equipment page.