On March 10-11, AIM hosted the Soil Health Summit for Conservation Planners and the Admin Team in Macomb, Illinois. The goal of the Soil Health Summit was to provide the in person lab trainings for those enrolled in Soil Health Courses with WIU’s Dr. Joel Gruver as well as to build team unity amongst the Conservation Planners.

“We chose WIU for this summit because of its strong reputation in soil health research and applied conservation practices,” said Whitney Miller, AIM Education Coordinator. “Throughout the event, participants learned from top experts like Dr. Gruver and gained hands on experience in various aspects of soil health management— knowledge they can use to help landowners and farmers address challenges they face every day.”

Across the two day event, participants performed multiple experiments in the Soils Teaching Laboratory as well as venturing to both to a farm where Dr. Gruver and his team has been
performing a multi-year study on soil health as well as the Allison Organic Farm. Participants were able to take what they had learned earlier in the day in the Soils Teaching Lab and classroom and apply to what they say in the field.

“We designed this summit to give conservation planners the chance to move beyond theory and truly engage with soil health concepts. From classroom discussions to soil testing in the WIU lab and fieldwork on research farms, every part of the experience was structured to provide practical, real-world applications they can take back to their work,” Miller said.

As part of their training, Conservation Planners take a variety of courses to further education and reach each Level of certification. AIM took the initiative to provide our Conservation Planners with easy access to soil classes. “This summit wasn’t just about learning soil health principles—it was about giving conservation planners the tools and confidence to apply them in the field,” Miller said.

“By working directly with soil samples, cover crops, and conservation systems, they gained
hands-on skills that will help them guide farmers and landowners toward more sustainable land management practices. The knowledge and connections made here don’t just stay at WIU—they go back with the conservation planners into their communities. Our goal was to equip them with new insights and practical techniques that they can immediately put into practice, helping to improve soil health and conservation efforts across the state,” she concluded.