Current employment/job title: Monsanto Seed, Channel Seedsman and farmer
Hometown: Rose Hill, IA
Job Responsibilities:
My family and I raise corn and soybeans and run a cow/calf herd in Mahaska County. We start calving in late March. After raising the calves, we typically sell them when they are 500-700 pounds. My major roles on the row crop side specifically include pre-emerge and post-emerge chemical applications, seed delivery, making hay, combining, and applying fertilizer. We regularly maintain grassed waterways, terraces, and tile used for soil and water conservation practices. I market and deliver the farm’s grain to multiple end-users throughout the year. We do some custom farming and trucking on the side as well.
I’m also employed as a Seedsman for Monsanto’s Channel brand. Selling seed (mostly corn and soybeans) and serving my customers fits well into our farm operation; when we are busy on our farm, my customers are busy as well. Throughout the year, my sales job includes cold-calling, making sales, delivering product, and following up with the customer throughout the growing season.
What you like most about your job/position:
I love working outside and being surrounded by the earth’s natural beauty on a day-to-day basis. I really enjoy farming because of the wide variety of jobs that the occupation demands. Some days I’m a mechanic or the guy on the end of a scoop shovel, and other days I make very large business decisions. Every day is a new day on the farm and that’s what makes me jump out of bed every morning.
After being so involved on campus at Iowa State, I wanted to make sure I got my ‘business fix’ and had a role that involved engaging with people. My favorite part of the seed business is the relationships I’ve made with other farmers. I treat my customers’ businesses just like our own and try to find the most economical solutions to fulfill their specific needs.
What advice would you give to current students:
Be involved on campus in a minimum of two extracurricular events/clubs. It is a great way to create relationships with peers and develop skill sets that you may not have known you possessed.
Take a few classes that you are simply interested in (outside your major perhaps). You are surrounded by a wealth of knowledge and wisdom on campus; take advantage of those opportunities to learn.
Study abroad at least one time. It doesn’t have to be a semester-long trip. ISU offers several 10-15 day trips. When I was a freshman, I swore I would never study abroad because I didn’t think it would be applicable to what I do in my professional career- I was wrong. You learn an incredible amount in a short period of time, not to mention the lifelong friendships you make to boot (I traveled to Panama with Econ 496).
Follow your heart. Pursue a career you desire to do rather than a career you think you ought to do.
Favorite ISU Class(es):
Agronomy 354- Soils and Plant Growth
Econ 336 – Agricultural Selling
Econ 337- Agricultural Marketing