Get to know John Finley, an Iowa Corn Staff Member

This past winter I took part in the Waukon Feed Ranch ribbon cutting.

I grew up in Northeast Iowa on a small family farm that my Irish family settled onto during the 1850’s.  My great-grandfather, grandfather, father and brother all farmed this land in the hilly part of northeast Iowa that has some of the same character as Ireland.

Growing up, we raised chickens, pigs, cattle and dairy cows so I quickly learned the importance of caring for animals. Due to the hilly makeup of our land, we did a lot of crop rotation. At the age of 14, I realized that farming was probably not meant to be my livelihood so I went to college. I was the first in my family to attend college so it was a big deal when I received a BA from Upper Iowa University.
After college, I became a high-school teacher. After leaving this position I worked a number of jobs including; insurance, various agribusiness positions, grain merchandising and grain marketing.

John and Marjorie with CY

I am married to my wife Marjorie who is a chef at Fennellys’ Irish Pub. We can’t seem to shake that Irish tradition! I also have two sons, Tim who is a certified chef in Iowa and Ryan is in the moving business in Arizona. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my two beautiful grandchildren, golfing with old friends, home remodeling projects and reading. I also enjoy traveling but only within the United States – there are several places still on my “bucket list.”

An interesting fact that most may not know about me is that over the past 3-years my wife and I have reduced our combined body weight by 150 pounds. We lost the weight by changing our eating and drinking habits with less wine/beer tasting. Since dropping the weight, we both feel a lot healthier and more energetic!

My grandchildren, Declan and Jillian

In November, 2012, I joined Iowa Corn as the District Field Manager (DFM) in Northeast Iowa. I like that Iowa Corn has a small staff because we are always involved in different issues that keeps our minds growing. We get to experience modern agriculture and work with farmers that continue to face embracing changes in their farming operations. I work at not focusing on my job description as a DFM but rather the ending impact I can have on peoples’ lives.  These factors make going to work enjoyable.