Faculty: Department of Agriculture - Western Illinois University

Joel B. Gruver

830 S. Lafayette St., Macomb, IL 61455
J-Gruver@wiu.edu
309/298-1215

CAREER OBJECTIVE

To facilitate learning in the classroom, laboratory and field that results in innovative solutions to agricultural and ecological problems

EDUCATION

Ph.D. 2007: North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)
Department of Soil Science
Dissertation Title: Relationships between management, texture and soil organic matter fractions.
M.S. 1999: University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Department of Agronomy
Thesis title: Relationships between farmer perceptions of soil quality and management sensitive soil parameters
B.S. 1992: Principia College (Elsah, Illinois)
Major: Chemistry

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Teaching

Assistant Professor, Soil Science, Western Illinois University, 1/2007 - present: Fundamentals of Soil Science, Soil and Water Conservation
Instructor, Central Carolina Community College, 2001–2005: Introduction to Soil Science
Instructor, Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) Internship program, 2000-2005: Soil management and Soil Ecology modules, mentoring of intern projects
Instructor, NCSU Soil Science, fall 2002: Principles of Soil Science
Visiting Faculty, Principia College, 1/2000 – 6/2000: Introduction to Soil Science, Environmental Chemistry, Ecology of Agriculture
Visiting Faculty, Tufts University, 9/99 – 12/99: Ecology of Agriculture
Teaching Assistant, University of Maryland, 1/1996 - 5/1999: Lab sections for Introduction to Soil Science and Introduction to Crop Science
Instructor, Hampshire College, 1/95: State of the Art Sustainable Agriculture - 3 wk January term class
Teaching Assistant, Principia College, 9/1991-6/1992: Grading and review sessions for introductory Chemistry classes

Agricultural Production

Manager, CEFS Student Farm, Goldsboro, NC, 6/2000 – 12/2001

Fruits, vegetables, goats, chickens and aquaculture

Management Intern, Hampshire College Farm, Amherst, MA, 5/1994 - 2/1995

Fruits, vegetables, hay and sheep

Farmhand, Saliscot Farm, Norrisville, MD, 1986 - 1994 summers

Beef cattle and hay

HONORS & AWARDS

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Professional Development Retreat, 2005

Hugh Hammond Bennett Scholarship, 2005

NCSU Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, 2003

Featured New Member in Tri-Societies Newsletter, 2002

U of MD Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award, 1998

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Soil Science Society of America

Graduate student member of Membership, Visibility and Identity Committee, 2003

Soil Ecology Society

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Refereed Publications

Weil, R.R., K.R. Islam, M.A. Stine, J.B. Gruver, and S.E. Samson- Liebig. 2003. Estimating active carbon for soil quality assessment: a simplified method for laboratory and field use. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18(1): 3-17
Hu, S, Tu, C, Chen, X and Gruver, J. Progressive N limitation of plant response to elevated CO2: a microbiological perspective. Plant Soil. 298:47-58.
Gruver, J.B., and R.R.Weil. Farmer perceptions of soil quality and their relationship to management sensitive soil parameters. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, accepted 7/06.

Abstracts

Gruver, J.B. 2005. Air elutriation: a new method of isolating physical fractions of soil organic matter. Agronomy Abstracts. CD ROM. CSA-SSSA-ASA National Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
Gruver, J.B., and M.G. Wagger. 2005. Initial soil C and structure: key regulators of the physical protection of new C ?. Agronomy Abstracts. CD ROM. CSA-SSSA-ASA National Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
Gruver, J.B., and M.G. Wagger. 2005. Impact of organic transition systems and texture on SOM fractions. Proceedings of the Transitioning to Organic Agriculture: Ecology, Economics and Marketing meeting, August 29-31.Wooster, OH
Gruver, J.B., and MG Wagger. 2004. Divergent effects of texture on C quantity and quality in soil size fractions. Agronomy Abstracts. CD ROM. CSA-SSSA-ASA National Meeting, Seattle, WA
Gruver, J.B., and MG Wagger. 2003. A new method of isolating functionally important fractions of soil organic matter. Proceedings of the NC Soil Science Society Meeting. Raleigh, NC.
Gruver, J.B. and R.R. Weil. 1998. Simplified method for determination of aggregate stability for soil quality assessment. Agronomy Abstracts, p.220. CSA-SSSA-ASA National Meeting, Baltimore, MD
Gruver, J.B. and R.R. Weil. 1997. The relationship between farmer perceptions of soil quality and a soil quality index. Agronomy Abstracts, pg. 55. CSA-SSSA-ASA National Meeting, Anaheim, CA

Other Publications

Gruver J.B. and T. Nartea. 2004. Farm planning and record keeping spreadsheets. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmrecords.html
Gruver J.B. 2004. Quality control for a new permanganate oxidizable C method. Proceedings of the 26th Southern Conservation Tillage Meeting. Raleigh, NC. www.ag.auburn.edu/nsdl/sctcsa/Proceedings/2004/Gruver.pdf
Gruver, J.B. 1999. Relationships between farmer perceptions of soil quality and management sensitive soil parameters. M.S. thesis, University of Maryland, College Park.
Weil, R.R and J.B.Gruver. 1996. Soil Test for Active Organic Matter: A Tool to Help Assess Soil Quality. NE SARE Grant Proposal. Funds awarded: $100,000.
http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp?pn=LNE96-069&ry=1996&rf=0

Invited Presentations

2006: Organic Growers School (Flat Rock, NC)
Virginia Biological Farming Association Conference (Lynchburg, VA)
Wake County Master Gardener Meeting (Raleigh, NC)
2005: Mid-Atlantic Crop Management School (Ocean City, MD)
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Conference (Asheville, NC)
National Pastureland Ecology School (Raleigh, NC)
Guilford County Master Gardener Trainings in March and June (Greensboro, NC)
Organic Growers School (Flat Rock, NC)
National Garden Association Training (Raleigh, NC)
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference (New Orleans, LA)
Georgia Organics Conference (Waco, GA)
2004: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference (Gainesville, FL)
Sustainable Soils Conference (Pittsboro, NC)
National Pastureland Ecology School (Raleigh, NC)
Certified Crop Advisor Training (Harrisburg, PA)
Getting the Most out of Small Acreage Conference (Winston-Salem, NC)
Turkish Agricultural Engineer Training (Goldsboro, NC)
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Conference (Asheville, NC)
NC Vegetable Expo (Greenville, NC)
2003: Piedmont Organic Gardening School (Pittsboro, NC)
Sustainable Soils Conference (Pittsboro, NC)
Triad Organic Growers School (Guilford Cty)
National Pastureland Ecology School (Raleigh, NC)
CSA Training for Extension Agents (Goldsboro, NC)
Gardeners of Wake County Meeting (Raleigh, NC)
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Conference (Rockhill, SC)
2002: Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference (St. Joseph, MO)
Piedmont Organic Gardening School (Pittsboro, NC)
High Country Organic Growers School (Boone, NC)
Cover Crop Field Day (Pittsboro, NC)
Soil Management Training for Extension Agents (Pittsboro, NC)
Soil Management Training for Extension Agents (Columbia, SC)
Eastern NC Vegetable Growers Meeting (Kinston, NC)
SARE National Conference Tour of CEFS Student Farm (Goldsboro, NC)
2001: Genethics Conference (Elsah, IL)
2000: TriState (PA, OH, NY) Conservation Tillage Meeting (West Middlesex, PA)
1999: Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association Conference (State College, PA)
Cedar Meadow Farm Field Day (Holtwood, PA)
Mid-Atlantic Small Farm Conference (Annapolis, MD)
Certified Crop Advisor Training (Harrisburg, PA)
1998: Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association Conference (State College, PA)
Pennsylvania Lime and Fertilizer Winter Meeting (State College, PA)
Cedar Meadow Farm Field Day (Holtwood, PA)

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Mechanisms of C stabilization and turnover in terrestrial ecosystems: Interactions between organics and clay minerals
Aggregate formation, stabilization and turnover
Hydrophobicity and its impact on aggregate and C dynamics in soil
Integrated nutrient management: Nutrient stocks, flows and mass balance
Management of organic nutrient sources
Low external input systems in both developed and developing countries
Facilitation of innovative nutrient management practices by farmers
Landscape ecology/biogeochemistry: Temporal and spatial distribution of elemental stocks and flows in terrestrial ecosystems
Relationships between soil spatial variability and ecosystem function
Sociology of agro-ecological innovation: Integration of scientific models and experiential knowledge
Social learning processes in developed and developing countries
Farmer knowledge and decision making in developed and developing countries
Energetics of agricultural systems: Direct and embodied energy use in agricultural systems
Farm scale alternative energy options (e.g. photovoltaics, wind, biogas, biomass)
Energy efficient agricultural production, processing and distribution systems

SPECIAL SKILLS

Public Communication

Facility with a diversity of:

media: PowerPoint, overhead transparencies, black/whiteboard, field demonstrations, internet listservs
audiences (elementary, high school and college students, farmers, gardeners, industry professionals, scientists, speakers of English as a second language)
communication styles (spontaneous, narrative, experiential, metaphorical, formal)

Production Expertise

Small to medium scale integrated crop and animal production systems
Community Supported Agriculture - several models and scales
Special interest in conservation tillage, vegetable crop scheduling, design of crop rotations, management intensive rotational grazing and energetics of agricultural systems

Analytical Instrumentation

UV/VIS Spectrometry, IR Spectrometry, DOC analysis, Total C and N analysis, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Computer Software

MS Word, Excel, PhotoShop, PowerPoint, SAS Univariate and Multivariate statistics, ArcView

Cultural Sensitivity and Language Skills

Strong interest in and experience interacting with international cultures
Consultant for development of educational farm at St. Augustine University in Mwanza, Tanzania, 2005
Board member for the US chapter of FARDA (Friends of Africa Relief and Development Agency), an NGO dedicated to relief and development following the civil war in Sierra Leone. Proficiency but not fluency in French, German and Swahili