Getting to Know Landus: John Finneseth

Growing up on a small farm outside of Perry, Iowa, John’s life was structured around agriculture. From a young age, he was passionate about the industry and knew his future would be in a career of agriculture.

After earning his degree in agronomy and agriculture from Iowa State University, he worked for a large grower near his hometown for six years. John pursued a few other titles like location manager, branch manager, and managing fertilizer before finding work at Landus within sales.

Landus has done a lot of things in ag differently. If you were to tell me that I’d be flying drones over fields five years ago, I would’ve had a hard time seeing that reality—but here we are. - John Finneseth, Director of Agronomy Sales

His year-and-a-half at Landus has included a lot of change, but John has been able to grow from that change and be the best he can at his job. Part of his skill set is adapting. John has fully embraced drone technology like SkyScout, and shared it with his farmers.

As Director of Agronomy Sales, he deals with many different tasks day-to-day. Of the many areas John oversees, John’s frequent talks with his farmers rank highest on his priority list.

“It’s extremely important to me to be able to be honest and trustworthy with each farmer I work with. Without building those friendships and relationships, I probably would not be where I am today,” he said.

John lives outside Ankeny with his wife and two children. He spends time with his wife in their flower garden and her gluten-free bakery, Field and Flour. During the fall, John and his son spend time hunting pheasants and deer, as one of his favorite things to do with their dog. His daughter loves showing horses, so much of their time is spent going to horse shows.

“Family time is one of my favorite things. After a while, you just follow your kids around and support them do the things they love,” he said.

John’s outside of the box thinking and farmer prioritization creates incredible crop results for his farmers. His mindset is firmly trained on trying new things, keeping farmer interests at the forefront, and make the world a better place. His family-first mindset naturally lends itself to sustainable practices for the future generations.