Reflections on Two Decades of Soil Health Research at Western Illinois University with Joel Gruever

Joel Gruver grew up on a small diversified farm in Maryland. He completed his PhD in Soil Science at North Carolina State U in 2007 and will soon wrap up his 20th spring semester as a professor in the School of Agriculture at Western Illinois University. In addition to teaching soil science, crop science and conservation classes, Dr. Gruver is the Director of the WIU Organic Research Program. His research interests include conservation cropping systems with a focus on cover crops and organic grain production, soil organic matter, and innovative teaching methods.