The faculty of the Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Department are among the best in the nation in teaching and research. Our faculty are superb instructors as well as nationally or internationally recognized experts in wide-ranging specialties. They are recognized for their scholarship and research-led teaching in agronomy, bioinformatics, crop production, entomology, genetics/plant breeding, horticulture, plant pathology, plant physiology, soil science and weed science.
The ultimate objective of the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science teaching and learning programs is to prepare graduates with distinctive attributes. Our course curriculum has been designed to provide students experiential learning opportunities that enable them to be highly competitive in the job market. Our faculty provide an atmosphere of intellectual excitement to stimulate the curiosity of our students. This provides students with a vibrant campus experience that will remain with them for a lifetime.
The department has a robust research program that consistently ranks at, or near, the top of departments at SDSU for research expenditures and productivity. Many of our faculty are nationally recognized for their achievements in teaching, research and Extension including two South Dakota Hall of Fame inductees.
Dissemination of science-based knowledge is a core mission of the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science. Our faculty Extension specialists and our field specialists ensure that we meet this responsibility to the people of South Dakota and the region.