The Department of Soil and Water Systems combines faculty in soil science, agronomy, hydrology, sediment transport, irrigation engineering, waste management and precision agriculture to address resource issues related to soil, water quality and quantity and sustainable food, energy and waste systems.

We offer four undergraduate degrees, four minors designed to complement a variety of majors and a certificate in precision agriculture. We also offer a master’s and doctorate program in soil and land resources. Students in these programs work with professors who actively conduct research on a variety of topics and customize their programs based on research interests.

The range of expertise among Soil and Water Systems faculty provides students with a diverse experience. Specialty areas include hydrology, precision agriculture, erosion, remote sensing, watershed management, value-added products from waste, agricultural mechanics, ecosystem sustainability, biogeochemistry, plant and soil microbe interactions, water quality and quantity, drought monitoring and forecasting, nutrient and livestock waste management, environmental soil chemistry and microbial ecology.

Faculty support Idaho’s producers through a variety of Extension programs, events and publications. Research is conducted on the Moscow campus and at U of I Research and Extension Centers in Idaho Falls, Parma, Kimberly, Twin Falls and Aberdeen and affiliate centers in Sandpoint and Rupert.