Sustainable Crop Production, Food Systems and Agroecology
Faculty Interest and Expertise
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- Cornelius Barry
- Associate Professor
- Biochemical Evolution of Specialized Metabolism within the Solanaceae Family; Genetic Determinants of Fruit Quality and Ripening
- (517) 884-6959
- barrycs@msu.edu
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- Bridget Behe
- Professor
- Marketing of horticultural crops, both edible and ornamental
- (517) 353-0346
- behe@msu.edu
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- John Biernbaum, PhD
- Professor
- Organic crop production; production and use of compost for fertility, transplant media and water extracts (tea) for managing soil and plant health.
- (517) 353-0419
- biernbau@msu.edu
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- Daniel Brainard
- Associate Professor
- Development of reduced-tillage, cover-crop intensive vegetable production systems; weed ecology and management, with an emphasis on seed biology
- 517-353-0417
- brainar9@msu.edu
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- Bert Cregg
- Professor, Tree Physiology
- Physiology and management of trees in landscapes and nursery production
- 517-353-0335
- cregg@msu.edu
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- Todd Einhorn
- Associate Professor
- Tree fruit physiology, plant-water relations, rootstock biology, plant growth regulation
- (517) 353-0430
- einhornt@msu.edu
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- Tom Fernandez
- Professor
- Sustainability of wholesale production nurseries, water management and quality
- 517-353-0336
- fernan15@msu.edu
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- Kristin Getter
- Assistant Professor and Director of the MSU Horticulture Gardens
- Floriculture, Green Roofs
- (517) 353-0341
- getterk@msu.edu
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- Amy Iezzoni
- Professor
- Sour cherry breeding for fruit quality and disease resistance; cherry genetics; marker-assisted breeding; cherry rootstock selection.
- 517-353-0391
- iezzoni@msu.edu
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- Gregory Lang
- Professor
- Tree fruit horticulture, physiology, and genetic evaluation, including high efficiency training systems and orchard climatic modification systems
- 517-353-0388
- langg@msu.edu
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- Haddish Melakeberhan
- Associate Professor
- Integrated and sustainable nematode, nutrient cycling, and soil health management in cropping systems.
- (517) 355-4487
- melakebe@msu.edu
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- Erik Runkle
- Professor
- Lighting applications in greenhouses and indoor vertical farms; light-emitting diodes; greenhouse energy conservation; crop production in controlled environments
- (517) 353-0350
- runkleer@msu.edu
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- Paolo Sabbatini
- Associate Professor
- Grapevine physiology; photosynthetic carbon assimilation and partitioning; viticulture; cultivar evaluation of Michigan.
- (517) 353-0302
- sabbatin@msu.edu
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- Bernard Zandstra
- Weed control in fruit, vegetables, and Christmas trees; registration of new pesticides.
- (517) 353-6637
- zandstra@msu.edu
Facilities
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Center for Advanced Microscopy
578 Wilson Road East Lansing, MI, 48824The Center for Advanced Microscopy, a Michigan State University Core Facility, is the central microscopy laboratory for the Michigan State University Campus.
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Clarksville Research Center
9302 Portland Road Clarksville, Michigan 48815The Clarksville Research Center hosts research on small fruits and tree fruits, as well as potatoes, chestnuts and a variety of other crops.
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Horticulture Teaching and Research Center
3291 College Road Holt, Michigan 48842The 180 acre HTRC is located just south of campus in Holt, Michigan. The center meets the needs of field labs for outdoor classrooms as well as basic research.
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Horticulture Teaching Greenhouses
1066 Bogue St East Lansing, MI 48824These glass greenhouses are used primarily for teaching horticulture production classes.
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MSU Growth Chamber Facility
1066 Bogue Street East Lansing, MI 48824This facility maintains 199 growth chambers providing stringent temperature, light and humidity control.
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Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center
6686 S. Center Highway Traverse City, MI 49684This 137-acre center sits in the five-county northwestern region that produces almost half of the U.S. supply of tart cherries and is responsible for 83 percent of sweet cherry production in Michigan.
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Plant Science Greenhouses
1059 Farm Ln East Lansing, MI 48824Located near the corner of Farm Ln and Wilson Rd, the Plant Science Greenhouses are utilized by Horticulture faculty, as well as other departments for plant science research.
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Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center
1791 Hillandale Road Benton Harbor, MI 49022The Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center is located in Berrien County, and growing several types of fruit and conducting variety evaluations of numerous fruits and vegetables are just part of the work done at the 350-acre site.
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Student Organic Farm
3291 College Rd. Holt, MI 48842The SOF is a 10-acre certified organic teaching and research farm that is also a working production farm.
Internships and Careers
Our students find internship and career opportunities in:
- Production
- Management
- Marketing
- Education
- Research
In addition, our graduates often open their own business enterprises such as fruit or vegetable production, landscape design/build and maintenance companies, nurseries, greenhouses and garden centers.
Job and Internship Links:
MSU Horticulture's Jobs and Internships Site
Sustainable Farming Internships
Careers In Horticulture, The American Society for Horticultural Science
Other Educational Opportunities and Resources
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Specialization
Ecological Food and Farming Systems Specialization
Center for Regional Food Systems
Sustainable Ag and Food Systems
Opportunities for independent study, research projects, and lab experiences:
Most faculty offer undergraduate research experience opportunities. Information about ongoing projects can be found on individual faculty web pages above. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) also provides funding opportunities for undergraduate research.