John was born in 1948 and raised on a five-generation farm in east-central Illinois. He graduated with honor from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a BS in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Economics in 1970. The next five years were spent as a nuclear engineering officer aboard the USS SEAHORSE (SSN-669), a fast-attack submarine homeported in Charleston, SC. During this time he married Jan Sonneveldt from Grand Rapids, MI. They have two sons: Aaron, a mining engineer who returned to the farm in 2008 and Jack, a project manager for US Cellular near Chicago.
In 1975, Jan and John returned to the 600 A. family farm. The farm now comprises 2100 A. in Edgar County, IL. At various times, he has sold computers and software to farmers, worked in a mortgage banking operation as a closing officer, and taught at the Danville Area Community College. His community activities include Lions Club, FmHA County Committee, Ag Extension Council, Republican Precinct Committeeman, and CPR instructor. John is past president of the Edgar County Farm Bureau, past member of the Illinois Commission on Atomic Energy, a former director of Illini FS, past President of the Edgar County Board of Health, and has served on the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and the National Corn Congress. John is a 1988 graduate of the Illinois Ag Leadership Program. He is active in the United Methodist Church, serving as a Certified Lay Speaker and choir director. John is a director for Kongskilde, Ltd. a farm implement and industrial equipment manufacturer based in Denmark.
John writes humor and commentary, appearing regularly in Farm Journal and Top Producer magazines as a contributing editor. His work has been published in Farm & Country in Canada, Produktion in Denmark, and the American Enterprise. In 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008 his works were selected for Best Humor; in 1995, 2000, 2003 and 2004 Best Regular Column; and in 2003 for Best Editorial Opinion by the American Agricultural Editors Association. In 2004 he earned ag writing's highest award, Writer of the Year.
In 2005, John began hosting US Farm Report, America's longest-running farm TV show. The show airs weekly across the US.
In conjunction with writing, John speaks often to farm and business groups. His work as a speaker has taken him from Montana to Virginia, sharing with producer and agribusiness audiences.
First-hand farm experience
Like many producers today, John began writing and speaking to more fully utilize his time and talents. While firmly committed to farming, he has learned to expand his vision of what that life will look like. His work conveys this essential belief that farmers everywhere can still shape their own future.
