Bio
Jacob Prater, Ph.D., is a displaced Tennessean who has grown to love all of the seasons in Wisconsin. He enjoys fishing, cross-country skiing, and woodworking (all are a family affair) among other pursuits. There isn’t anything better than working in and with the soil though. The amazing diversity of life the soil supports fascinates him and he loves to tell people about it. Whether it is agriculture, forests, grasslands, gardens, or ginseng fields, he loves to learn about it and share his knowledge.
Experience and Interests
Teaching Experience
Prater’s teaching expertise includes Agriculture, Agronomy, and Soil Science (Soil Physics and Soil Management), but he is broadly trained beyond this and teaches introductory courses and field-based courses with concepts including ecology, soil classification, and mapping, and water resources.
Research Interests
Prater’s research includes agriculture, forestry, soil maps, and land evaluation, and contaminant transport. Specific projects include prescribed fire effects on soils at UW-Stevens Point’s Treehaven facility and a statewide project developing Provisional Ecological Site Descriptions with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He also does research in agricultural production (Nitrogen Use Efficiency) and the movement of contaminants such as estrogens and synthetic chemicals in soil.