University of Minnesota. Dept. of Soil Science.

The College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts section of the 1871 University Almanac included an instruction plan that noted students would study chemistry with the practical application of the “nature and origin of soils and their analysis.”

The study of soils was included under the Agricultural Chemistry Course of Study in the College of Agriculture until the early 1900s, and in the 1906-1907 University Bulletin, Agricultural Chemistry and Soils was listed as a Course of Instruction in the College of Agriculture.

At their April 29, 1913 meeting, the Board of Regents voted to appoint Frederick J. Alway as Chief of the new Division of Soils in the College of Agriculture. Courses offered included soil physics and management, soil fertility and fertilizers, physical properties of soils, and analysis of fertilizers. The President’s Report for 1913-1914 announced the new Division of Soils, “into which the work on soils and fertilizers had been transferred within the Agricultural Experiment Station.”

Extension and research work for the Division included crop and field observations, soil surveys, yield experiments, and crop quality studies.

Starting in the 1920s, the Division’s name was listed as Soils in Course Catalogs and Bulletins for the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics. In the early 1960s, the Division of Soils became the Department of Soil Science.

The 1973 College of Agriculture Bulletin explained that “students interested in soil and water resource management, conservation, tillage, soil fertility, soil mapping, soil morphology, soil organic matter transformations, environmental quality, microclimatology, soil-plant (crop, natural flora) relationships, or research should consider majoring in soil science.”

In 1995, the Department of Soil Science was renamed the Department of Soil, Water and Climate. The Department’s teaching, research, and outreach focused on four interdisciplinary areas: atmospheric science, cropland and natural ecosystem sciences, soil science, and water sciences. The Department’s Extension programs covered subjects such as soil fertility and nutrient management, climatic influence on agricultural production, water quality and pollution, and waste management and utilization.

Division/Department Heads

From the guide to the Department of Soils records, 1911-1990s, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University of Minnesota Archives [uarc])