325-7 Graduate Education Perspectives of Advancing Agronomy Via Public-Private Collaboration.



Wednesday, October 19, 2011: 10:15 AM
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Ballroom C-2, Ballroom Level

Allan Ciha1, Allen Knapp1 and Daniel Dobill2, (1)Iowa State University, Clive, IA
(2)Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc, Johnston, IA
As the number of university faculty and undergraduate and graduate students in agronomic sciences decline, there is a growing demand for agronomists in both public and private positions to meet the food needs for the expanding world population.  This paper addresses some of the ways industry and university agronomy departments are addressing the need for trained agronomists.  Iowa State University MS-Agronomy distance program is one means of training MS level agronomist across the U.S. and the world.  Universities provide a number of opportunities for CCAs, crop consultants, and other agronomists to learn about agronomic issues.  Private companies are expanding their agronomic research on plant population, row spacing, variety selection for environmental condition, etc. and provide a number of fact sheets and website downloads of agronomic information for their seed dealers, retailers, and producers.  The future skills and competencies for agronomists will also be discussed.
See more from this Division: C03 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality
See more from this Session: Symposium--Advancing Agronomy Through Public-Private Collaboration