John was raised on a six-generation farm in east-central Illinois. He graduated with honors from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a BS is Chemical Engineering & a minor in economics in 1970. The next five years were spent as a Nuclear Engineering Officer aboard the USS Seahorse, a fast attack submarine homeported in Charleston, S.C. He returned to the 600-acre family farm in 1975. The farm now comprises 1,300 acres in Illinois. From August 2005 until October 2014, John was the TV host of U.S. Farm Report. He now adds commentary from his farm every week and writes regular columns for Farm Journal and Top Producer.