Born on Dec. 12, 1946 in New York City. Karl attended Clemson University in South Carolina and graduated in 1968 with a degree in food technology. After graduating, he served four years in the Peace Corp on the island of Fiji in the South Pacific. There he served as an agricultural extension advisor to local farmers. After returning to the states in 1973, he worked on an advanced degree in food technology at the University of Florida. In 1975 Karl transferred to the University of Illinois, where he focused his research on soybeans. Following his graduation in 1981, he worked as a food technologist in Nigeria for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, then returned to the University of Illinois in 1988 to work at the National Soybean Research Laboratory, specifically at the International Soybean Program (INTSOY), where he now serves as its director.
From the description of An interview with Karl Weingartner / Karl Weingartner ; Mark R. DePue, interviewer. 2008. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 434096889
