For Agriculture Online, I serve as the Markets Editor. Each week, I generate market information and try to simplify it to help farmers understand. Talking to livestock and grain farmers is the best part of this job without question. I focus on writing market information that will help them increase their profitability.

Also, I edit a number of market analyst reports. Agriculture Online is fortunate to have many analysts that share their thoughts on market fundamentals and buying and selling tips.

I grew up in southwest Iowa, where the land is better than most think and livestock thrive. My dad raised my five brothers and me with a small hog and cattle herd outside of Shenandoah, Iowa. I have scraped a lot of manure from a 12-pen farrowing house built in a barn that once served as a corn-bin. I still believe life's lessons started right there.

Now living in central Iowa, I still help two brothers with raising hogs and growing corn and soybeans.

With my spare time, I enjoy driving my F-150 pickup real slow throughout the countryside, dreaming of having a farm and a cattle herd like the ones I'm seeing. Just like the two Chicago marathons I've finished, getting that farm and cattle herd seems like it's taking forever.