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The paper is devoted to the outstanding Russian scientist Vladimir I. Vernadsky, who is one of the founders of ecology. As a student of V.V. Dokuchaev, he developed his teacher’s ideas of a systematic dynamic approach to the study of nature and introduced a deep scientific ecological content into the concepts of the biosphere and the noösphere. V.I. Vernadsky is the founder of a complex of modern Earth sciences (geochemistry, biogeochemistry, radiology, and hydrogeology) and the creator of many scientific schools. In his scientific work, he covered many research areas, from geology to the study of the role of living matter in geochemical cycles, from soil science to the biosphere, the increasing influence of scientific thought, human activity in the biosphere and its transformation into the noösphere. The importance of agriculture in the biosphere and the noösphere is considered. The biosphere is an area of active life on Earth (troposphere, hydrosphere and part of the lithosphere), the composition, structure and energy of which are mainly due to the activity of living organisms. The noösphere is its thinking shell. Agriculture, whose most important part are grassland ecosystems, is an important component of the biosphere, being a reproducible, autotrophic sustainable resource (energetical, environmental, food and feed). In light of the pressing environmental problems facing the world, environmental education and environmental thinking are a priority for the development of the biosphere, the noösphere and agriculture.

The perfection of ecological culture in agriculture is an urgent and high-priority state task. A dangerous misbalance is often noted in modern agricultural production in favor of economic interests and to the detriment of ecological ones. To solve this problem, a project is being implemented to found a professionally oriented scientific and educational center. Every year, students of the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Faculty of Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Ecology and the Faculty of Agronomy and Biotechnology of the K.A. Timiryazev Russian State Agricultural Academy and others are trained practically at the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology. Practical work and conferences for schoolchildren held on the basis of the Williams Research Center are also important forms of work. Schoolchildren, under the guidance of researchers from the Williams Research Center and accompanied by teachers of biology, geography, chemistry, learn to work independently with plants at the molecular genetic level, to isolate genes from plants, to study the processes of plant breeding and cultivation, to take care of experimental samples, and to observe changes in the growth of different varieties and hybrids plants...