Ecology-Based Agriculture A dairy farm in a formerly rural county is now surrounded by houses as a result of recent development. Urbanization has driven up the cost of operation.
New legislation requires a nutrient management plan.
The neighbors are concerned about odors, flies, and the potential for soil erosion to affect nearby streams. A new major involving the agronomy, entomology, horticulture, and plant pathology departments will prepare students to solve such interdisciplinary problems. What they decide to do with soil fertility may affect what happens with diseases or economics. How often they spray may affect neighbor relations. Our goal is to keep the major holistic to continually enforce the idea that we're working in a system.