Michigan’s diverse agriculture influenced John’s lifelong love for farming—from specialty crops like cherries, apples, pickling cucumbers, and sugar beet—to commodity crops like corn, soybeans and wheat. He earned an M.S. in Soil Science from South Dakota State University and a B.S. in Chemistry from Oakland University. John’s areas of expertise are Soil Fertility, Nitrogen Management, and Precision Agriculture. He has a decade’s worth of experience in retail agriculture, including a stint in manure and environmental management research for USDA-ARS, and serving as an Agriculture and Natural Resources educator at Michigan State University Extension (specializing in dairy and livestock production, potato production, and GAP third-party food safety audit preparation for growers throughout the state). John thrives from the constant stimulation and development of the agriculture industry. His greatest priority is ensuring sufficient diverse food and providing the basic necessities of life to all.