Agronomy is the development and management of plant and soil resources to produce abundant, high-quality food, feed, and fiber crops in an efficient, sustainable, and environmentally protective manner.
Agronomists are involved with many issues such as the environmental impacts of food production, erosion, wetland management, wise use of natural resources, sustainable agriculture, and nitrate and pesticide contamination of food and water. The challenge lying ahead for the agronomist is to increase or maintain production of agricultural products while conserving our environment for use by future generations.
Graduates find jobs in such areas as business management, international development, rural development, natural resources and environmental management, marketing, government agencies, agricultural chemical, grain handling, seed production and distribution, and consulting firms.
Iowa State University’s Department of Agronomy created a website to teach students about how agronomists solve global problems. http://www.imanagronomist.net/