By Blake Jackson
Penn State students interested in sustainable agriculture will have a new hands-on learning opportunity in spring 2026. The College of Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering will launch ABSM 497: Conservation Management, a course focused on natural resource concerns across Pennsylvania, with emphasis on soil and water conservation.
Taught by Weiyun Hua, assistant teaching professor of agricultural and biological engineering, the course is supported by Penn State Extension’s Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training. It aims to meet growing demand for professionals trained in productive and environmentally sustainable best management practices.
Students will examine how farming activities, including tillage, fertilization, and irrigation, impact soil health, water quality, and overall sustainability. “I would like to create a course that moves beyond theory and equips students with practical tools,” Hua said.
“It’s about empowering the next generation of agricultural professionals to see conservation and profitability as two sides of the same coin, not competing interests.”
The curriculum covers nonstructural best management practices such as cover crops, no-till, grassed waterways, and nutrient management. Field trips allow students to see these practices in action.
Students will also learn to inventory natural resource concerns using geographic information systems and aerial imagery, delineate watersheds, create nutrient management plans, and develop site-specific conservation strategies that benefit both the environment and farmers.
“Farmers across the country benefit from well-written conservation plans to help increase their productivity and reduce their natural resource concerns,” said Jennifer Fetter, water resources program leader for Penn State Extension.
“They are in high demand, and farmers often are on a waiting list to get their plans written. This course will help make students job-ready in the field.”
“The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is taking on the task to address this lack of workforce capacity challenge, and this course is only one of the numerous other ongoing efforts and programs we have in the department,” said Suat Irmak, department head.
Students will also have networking opportunities with conservation professionals from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Penn State Extension. “I am excited to guide students from simply learning facts to thinking like conservation professionals diagnosing natural resource concerns and creatively formulating comprehensive solutions,” Hua said.
Course lectures are scheduled Mondays and Fridays, with a lab on Wednesdays. Prerequisites include PHYS 250 or 211 and MATH 110 or 140. Interested students can register through LionPATH or contact Hua at wvh5223@psu.edu.
Photo Credit: penn-state-college-of-ag-sciences
Categories: Pennsylvania, Education