054.AgEmerge Podcast: Dr. Joel Gruver Talks Soil Health, Systems and Solutions

Join us as we explore the work Dr. Joel Gruver is conducting at Western Illinois University. Dr. Gruver teaches soil science and conservation classes and he’s the recipient of the National No-Till Educator of the Year Award in 2015. We’re going to dive into what tools in the toolbox they use to research organic grain production. You know the old adage for selling real estate is location, location location. Well, in soil health it’s observation, observation, observation. Listen to how he utilizes grower’s field observations and understandings as they assess the changes they’re seeing in the soil. We go on to explore landlord/tenant relationships and how landlords are becoming committed to conservation practices and implementing cover crops. In addition to teaching, 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. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!