Meet Ohio Employee Jon Reedstrom

Resource Soil Scientist
Massillon, Ohio
 

Area Resource Soil Scientist Jon Reedstrom has served NRCS for 19 years, beginning his career as a soil scientist in Marshall, Michigan in 1988. He worked in three Michigan counties before taking a position as a Resource Soil Scientist in Massillon, Ohio, in 1998.

While trained to evaluate and map soils, Jon’s primary commitment is to people. Whether it’s providing training to new NRCS employees or bringing soils information to individuals outside of NRCS, Jon believes educating people is the key to appreciating and conserving our precious soil resources.

For the past five summers, Jon has taken school teachers out to the field, showing them soils first hand, instructing them on soil formation, horizons, land use issues, and wetlands. In turn, these teachers take this soils information and create lesson plans that they actually use in the classrooms, exposing students to soils and the environment. Teachers frequently ask Jon to visit their schools to give presentations, which he has done for a range of age groups, from 3rd graders on up to college students in ecology classes at the Kent State University Stark campus. Jon says, “I feel that opening up the world of soils to these teachers allows me to reach many students.”

Jon’s commitment to people extends beyond sharing his expertise in soils. For the past three years, Jon has served on the Ohio Civil Rights Advisory Committee, ensuring equal opportunity for employees and customers of NRCS.

 

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