New Penn State course prepares students for conservation careers

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students looking to turn their passion for sustainable agriculture into a profession soon will have a new opportunity to learn by doing.

In spring 2026, the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering will launch ABSM 497: Conservation Management, a course designed to help students understand natural resource concerns across Pennsylvania’s landscape, with an 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 and administered by the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering’s teaching program and mission. The course is aimed at addressing a growing demand for professionals trained in best management practices that are both productive and environmentally sustainable.

Students will analyze how agricultural activities such as tillage, fertilization and irrigation affect soil health, water quality and overall environmental 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.”

Hua emphasized that healthy resources are the foundation of a resilient and profitable agricultural industry. Degraded soil can lead to lower yields, higher input costs, and less resilience to weather extremes such as droughts and floods.

“Likewise, water quality is not just an environmental issue; it’s a matter of social license and regulation,” she said. “By proactively managing nutrients and sediment, ag professionals can ensure the long-term viability of farm operations and the industry as a whole.”

In the course, students will explore nonstructural best management practices, such as cover crops, no-till, grassed waterways and nutrient management. Field trips will offer opportunities to see these practices in action.

Through hands-on work, students will learn to inventory natural resource concerns using geographic information systems and aerial imagery, delineate a watershed, create a comprehensive nutrient management plan, and plan for various best management practices.

Students will learn to develop a site-specific conservation plan that can best serve both the environment and the farmer’s needs.

Jennifer Fetter, water resources program leader for Penn State Extension and director of the center, said the ability to write effective conservation plans is a critical workforce skill.

“Farmers across the country benefit from well-written conservation plans to help increase their productivity and reduce their natural resource concerns,” Fetter said. “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.”

She added that the need for professional training of conservation professionals long has been a challenge in Pennsylvania.

“Farmers and the organizations that support them have many hurdles to leap to get their day-to-day work done,” she said. “Finding skilled professionals to advance their conservation plans should not be one of them. This course directly addresses a gap in educational opportunities to help eliminate that hurdle.”

Suat Irmak, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, said the course reflects the department’s commitment to workforce development and applied conservation education and training.

“There has been a deficit in conservation-focused training and education that can contribute to workforce development,” he said. “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.”

He noted that the department values its partnership and collaboration with the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training and other units at Penn State, as well as with state and federal agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environmental Protection and the State Conservation Commission.

“Their support and partnership are keys to address agricultural and natural resources challenges,” Irmak said, “including addressing the workforce development to benefit our stakeholders, the state’s economy, agricultural productivity, and natural resources and ecosystem services. These are all important partnerships that contribute toward meeting our land-grant mission of helping stakeholders make better-informed decisions and enhance their well-being.”

The course incorporates professional development and real-world connections in the conservation field. Students will have opportunities to network with conservation professionals, including specialists from the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Penn State Extension, to gain insights into potential career paths.

Hua said the course emphasizes moving from awareness to action in conservation efforts.

“Agriculture is full of complex, interconnected systems,” Hua said. “I am excited to guide students from simply learning facts to thinking like conservation professionals — diagnosing natural resource concerns and creatively formulating comprehensive solutions.”

Funding for Hua’s appointment is provided through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program, administered by the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering provides significant academic and financial support to accomplish the goals and objectives of the position.

The course lecture is scheduled from 12:20 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. Mondays and Fridays in the spring 2026 semester. A lab accompanies the course from 10:10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesdays. Students must have taken PHYS 250 or 211 and MATH 110 or 140 as prerequisites.

Students can register in LionPATH or contact Hua at wvh5223@psu.edu for more details.