College of Agricultural Sciences

The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences offers 17 undergraduate majors, 23 minors, and graduate programs in 18 major areas.

College News and Information

A community service-learning course at Penn State provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to teach English to Latino immigrant dairy-farm workers. Here, sophomore Sophia Noel conducts a tutoring session. Image: Penn State

Undergraduate students engage with Latino farmworker community through course

February 7, 2019

Because of significant labor shortages, Pennsylvania's dairy farms rely on Spanish-speaking immigrants as a key source of labor. However, cultural differences and language barriers can leave employers and workers lost in translation. A new, innovative community service-learning course — "Service-Learning with Pennsylvania Farmworkers" — offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is aimed at breaking down those barriers.

In a four-year study, shallow-disk injection of manure was found to result in less phosphorus loss in runoff from farm fields compared to broadcasting or spreading manure. The research findings have implications for Chesapeake Bay water quality. Image: Melissa Miller / Penn State

Manure injection offers hope, challenge for restoring Chesapeake water quality

February 6, 2019

Widespread adoption by dairy farmers of injecting manure into the soil instead of spreading it on the surface could be crucial to restoring Chesapeake Bay water quality, according to researchers who compared phosphorus runoff from fields treated by both methods. However, they predict it will be difficult to persuade farmers to change practices.

Ed Kaiser, research technologist, of the Penn State Mushroom Spawn Lab. "Penn State has amassed one of the most extensive collections of commercial and wild mushroom strains, representing varieties from all over the world," he said. Image: Penn State

'A fungus among us': Penn State Mushroom Spawn Lab aids industry

January 29, 2019

Commercial mushroom farms, academic researchers and mushroom hobbyists from near and far rely on the Penn State Mushroom Spawn Lab in the College of Agricultural Sciences to advance their operations.

Paulina Oleinik, a senior in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is one of the live-in employees at the Penn State Horse Barn. Image: Penn State

College of Ag Sciences senior gets a 'kick' out of Penn State Horse Barn living

January 29, 2019

When Paulina Oleinik, a senior in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, started her college career at the University's Altoona campus, she had no idea that one day she would call a horse barn her home.

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