Dan’s vast knowledge of farm equipment, technology, machinery repair and field operations aide him in writing the Farm Journal column, “In The Shop.” Dan’s first freelance story appeared in Farm Journal in 1986 and was signed on as a contributing editor in 1992. During his many years contributing to Farm Journal, Dan has written about everything from wind and hail patterns to stories about farmers who race stock cars in their spare time, and is also working with Darrell Smith, Farm Journal Conservation and Machinery Editor, on the “Shop Series” of stories about farm shop design and outfitting. In 2008, Dan began spreading his expertise to the web, where he writes the “In the Shop” blog on AgWeb.com. Dan earned a bachelor’s degree in Farm Operations from Iowa State University in 1976. Following graduation, until 1992, he became the field operations manager for a large grain and livestock farm in central Iowa. Presently Dan is a full-time mechanic at a John Deere dealership in Perry, Iowa. Dan and his wife Becky, who is a second grade school teacher, live in rural Dallas County, Iowa. In his spare time he enjoys fishing, dirt track stock car races, and spending time with three very active and energetic grandsons.