Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a five-part series, “Getting Grounded,” that examines the nation's conservation delivery system and the mounting challenges facing farmers in getting the help and advice they need to select, plan and implement practices that can improve water and air quality, reduce water usage, increase wildlife habitat, make farms more climate-resilient, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Soil science has an image problem, and university efforts to craft classes and degree programs that appeal to a wider range of students may be making it harder for USDA to hire the soil conservationists needed to help farmers implement new practices.
Soil science has traditionally been the heart and soul of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. which until 1994 was known as the Soil Conservation Service.
The agency's soil conservationists have long been expected to be able to walk through landscapes, take stock of farmers' soil, water and vegetation challenges and suggest holistic plans producers could follow to address their needs. Having the right educational background and training is essential for this role, said Tom Christensen, a former deputy chief operating offer for business services at USDA's Farm Production and Conservation Business Center.
“Soil conservationists are pretty unique … because you’re the integrator,” he said.
Over the years, land grant universities have changed their curricula to be more environmentally oriented, rather than narrowly tailored to traditional agronomy or soil courses, said Christensen. Additionally, fewer and fewer people are growing up on farms and ranches and don’t have the same base of experience that has historically been beneficial for soil conservationists, he said.
For some NRCS soil conservationist roles, applicants must meet certain soil science course requirements. In a 2023 House Agriculture Committee hearing, NRCS Chief Terry Cosby told lawmakers that one big holdup in hiring soil conservationists was the lack of university programs offering the necessary three-hour soils credit.
NRCS Chief Terry Cosby“That is the basis for everything that we do at NRCS,” Cosby said. “It is a foundational course that everyone I think in agriculture should have.”
To qualify as a soil conservationist, graduates must have set hours in natural resources, plant science and soil science curriculum, Cosby told lawmakers. Not all NRCS positions have this requirement, but for soil conservationists, for example, having a single three-hour soil course is a limiting factor, he said.
Some colleges simply didn’t understand the consequences of cutting soil science from their curricula, while others may have eliminated it because of budget constraints, Cosby said.
In reality, the number of students graduating that are likely qualified for soil conservationist positions has increased over the last five years. The problem may be that the number of students graduating with degrees in soil science, chemistry or physics remains low.
In 2023, more than 26,800 students graduated with bachelor's degrees with the qualifications for soil conservationist positions, according to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System data. This is an increase from 2017 when 22,535 students graduated with skills that likely qualify them for these roles.
However, the number of graduates specifically with soil science, chemical or physics degrees dropped from 293 in 2017 to 200 in 2023.
Over the years, fewer students showed an interest in explicitly soil science courses or degrees. As a result, universities began merging programs to appeal to a broader swath of students, such as combining environmental and soil sciences to form a new major.
The HR system at NRCS may be setting aside candidates that take courses or major in those merged programs, even if the student has the right qualifications and skills, according to an official in the land grant university community who discussed the issue on condition of not being identified.
Nonprofits or other organizations may be able to easily adjust their required qualifications for candidates. But NRCS still has strict guidelines and more bureaucracy involved that could complicate making these changes, the official said.
The agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on that concern.
Christensen said the curriculum is more important than the actual title of a course or program.
“I would think there is some responsibility on the part of the HR community to understand what is being offered generally in universities and colleges, and not just take it on face value based simply on course title,” Christensen said. “But it would require some investment of time and resources on their part to do that.”
A 2019 study published in the American Society of Agronomy’s Natural Sciences Education journal found that 59 land grant universities in 46 states and one territory offered 61 bachelor-level degrees that would qualify a graduate to work as a soil scientist at the federal level. These represented 81% of 1862 colleges and 62% of 1890 colleges.
The study found that at the time, land grant colleges only offered three bachelor-level soil science degrees. The other offerings still met the requirements but had a more broad subject area title.
Of those 61 degrees, the most common subject area was environmental sciences and natural resources with 17 offerings. This was followed by crop/plant/soil sciences with 13 degrees and agricultural sciences with 12.
Eric BrevikThese findings demonstrate that more students taking soil courses are majoring or focused in environmental sciences, while fewer are focused on traditional majors like agronomy and soil science, said Eric Brevik, the lead author of the study. Brevik is the dean of and a professor at Southern Illinois University’s College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences.
“Some of it is … almost marketing and then staying current with where things are going,” Brevik said. “Can we offer something that is attractive to the modern student?”
Brevik has studied other aspects of soil science education, and said this survey was intended to set a baseline to chart future trends in program offerings.
In addition to reanalyzing previous studies and seeing how trends have changed, Brevik said it’s important to understand what employers are looking for in graduates. One of NRCS’s persistent concerns is that some graduates lack the fundamental skills to meet basic job requirements. This means all employers, not just NRCS, must focus more resources on training employees.
Academia, however, has moved away from the traditional field work that NRCS is often interested in for soil surveys. Instead, academia has focused more on remote sensing, GIS and spatial modeling, he said.
While these skills are still important to NRCS, Brevik said they need to be paired with field capabilities.
The shift to environmental studies from traditional agronomy may also play a role in soil science education trends. This isn’t a new development, Brevik said, pointing to a 2010 study published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal.
This study found that environmental sciences were perceived by surveyed students to have more opportunities for employment, and that students overall had an increased interest in the environment and sustainability, which was driving a rise in soil studies.
One of the recommendations from the study included evaluating the “image” of soil science relative to agriculture and the environment.
Citing this study, Brevik said more students view environmental science as trendy and exciting, while agriculture was seen as more “old and stodgy.”
Brevik suggested this shift toward environmental studies as opposed to traditional agronomy is caused by changes at the university and student level. As universities and specific programs face declining enrollment, some have moved to offer courses in environmental and food security issues to appeal to a wider audience.
“You need to feed the world, which is agricultural, but you don’t say ag necessarily,” Brevik said.
Kim LaFleur, president of the National Association of Conservation Districts, said many soil conservation programs focus on sustainability, and while it’s important to have a range of backgrounds entering the space, it’s important to keep the basics front and center.
Kim LaFleur“When we're talking about anything related to sustainability… keeping those nature-based solutions, that needs to be the core of the conversation on any type of climate or sustainability strategies,” LaFleur said.
The increase in funding for climate-smart practices has led to greater interest in sustainability and regenerative agriculture, which in turn has trickled down to influence college programs.
LaFleur said younger generations are increasingly looking at global impacts and are more attracted to sustainability pathways over traditional plant and soil sciences. She said universities and soil science programs need to market themselves better and demonstrate the full range of job opportunities available through these programs.
“That’s marketing on our end,” LaFleur said.
Brevik added that a student’s background can also play a role in the courses they choose and whether they can ultimately qualify for a position at NRCS.
Students who didn’t grow up on a farm or have a family background in farming may have problems making a connection with producers. For example, they may be less familiar with the details of farm production, he said.
Brevik said his previous studies have not looked at the impact of this.
“I think that's a big part of our challenge, is that we have dwindling numbers of people coming or growing up in areas where they come into contact with soils in a way that makes them kind of aware of or viewing soils being an important thing on a personal level,” Brevik said.
There are remote options for students at the college level, which provides for easier access but also means some students have less hands-on experience when they graduate, LaFleur said.
There’s a big emphasis on introducing these career opportunities to students before college through FFA and 4-H. National FFA reached over a million members for the first time in its history this year, and with the expansion came more “non-traditional students” — those who didn’t come from a farming background.
Roughly one-third of national FFA membership is from rural, suburban and urban backgrounds, LaFleur said.
“With that opportunity comes the challenge that they may not have the family background, and so they haven't grown up through the system, so to speak,” LaFleur said. “They’re experiencing things for the first time in college, and that’s where I feel it ties into our current challenge with staff.”
She said conservation districts, NRCS and non-governmental organizations are all competing for the same employees. Graduates may have the necessary degrees and courses, but some may not have that intuitive background to couple with their education.
Another challenge with soil science programs could be shrinking faculty size, Brevik said. At Southern Illinois University, for example, there is only one full-time, tenured soil science faculty member when there were traditionally three.
Some of this is a result of declining higher education budgets and the relatively smaller soil science enrollment in comparison to other programs in science schools.
“A lot of it is it’s a game of numbers and return on investment from the perspective of your administration,” Brevik said.
Stephen Anderson, a professor at University of Missouri, said faculty numbers in soil science have been in decline since the 1970s, even as demand and interest has climbed. He also believes tight university budgets play a factor in this trend, as retiring faculty members are not always replaced.
“The problem is we just don’t have the faculty numbers,” Anderson said.
Some universities have put more money into extension programs rather than hiring instructors, creating another challenge in attracting students into NRCS and conservation district roles.
LaFleur said it’s challenging to lure graduates to the conservation districts, and then keep them there, especially when NRCS may be pulling from the same pool of prospective employees.
She said conservation districts are also looking at the job descriptions themselves, and whether they should continue requiring four-year soil science degrees with specific coursework. Job descriptions could have more flexible requirements like a two-year degree with relevant work experience, she said.
“We're never going to get at the the gap of work that needs to be done, and the shortage of employees to do the work, if we're not creative in looking at just new pathways to get people involved in conservation,” LaFleur said.
Next week: The role of technical service providers in helping farmers plan and implement conservation practices.