Jay Bost

Jay Bost serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Sustainable Development Department at Appalachian State University, where he integrates hands-on farming expertise with academic instruction in sustainable agriculture since joining in 2021.

His academic foundation includes an undergraduate degree from Prescott College studying agroecology under Tim Crews, followed by an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida. His thesis examined the ethnobotany of Persea schiedeana in Oaxaca, Mexico, and he contributed to developing the university's Ethnoecology Garden as an educational hub.

Bost's research centers on agroecological food systems with emphases on seed diversity, tropical crop adaptation, and culinary-focused plant breeding. He actively bridges academic theory and practical farming through initiatives like Laughing Springs Farm, prioritizing biodiversity conservation and regionally adapted crop development for resilient ecosystems.

Professionally, he co-founded Laughing Springs Farm in Boone, serves on the Utopian Seed Project board, and collaborates with the Culinary Breeding Network. Previously, he mentored new farmers for eight years through GoFarm Hawai'i (University of Hawaii) and engaged with the Hawai'i Seed Growers Network, focusing on tropical corn diversity under Jim Brewbaker's mentorship.