The mission of the Crop and Soil Sciences Department is to generate and communicate knowledge pertaining to agroecosystems and their sustainable management in the face of accelerating global change. We educate students regarding stewardship of agroecosystems, preparing them for fulfilling private- and public-sector employment; we conduct scientific research to investigate complex problems that relate to sustainable land management and the intersection of agriculture and the environment; and we use our extension and outreach programs to inform our research, communicate our findings and enhance lifelong learning opportunities for stakeholders. Our agricultural mission is central to the vision of the Morrill Act which provides for institutions “to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts” and is fully aligned with the Land Grant Mission of the College. Our mission also contributes to the Environmental Sciences and the New Life Sciences priorities of CALS through research and educational programs that examine the intersection of agricultural and environmental systems.

In pursuing our mission and advancing programmatic themes, we conduct scientific inquiry and convey knowledge to academic and professional stakeholders both locally and globally. Many faculty conduct programs focusing on local-scale issues both domestically in New York and the northeastern USA region as well as in many countries around the world under temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical environments.  To learn more about the department's research themes, click here.