Joel graduated from Messiah College in central Pennsylvania with degrees in both Sustainable Agriculture and English. For his undergraduate research on ecological narratives of the Sonoran Desert, Joel received an Inclusive Excellence grant and the 2017 Alumni Merit award.
A Tucson native, Joel has worked and studied on farms in Arizona, Washington, Pennsylvania, Costa Rica, and Zambia. Most recently, he served as the Agricultural Interpreter at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum where he taught heritage farming skills and managed a historic garden and orchard.
Joel is a regular contributor to Western Ag Life Magazine and he provides writing and editing support to regenerative farms around the world through his freelancing business, Narratives of Place.