Losing Ground: John Ferrari Jr's work history in his own words
I graduated in 1981 from Grand Community High School in Boxholm, Iowa.
My plans were to farm, but the farm crisis changed that plan.
During the farm crisis in the eighties, my Uncle Larry Ferrari and I took a job with Webster City Products. I got laid off. That job opened my eyes because I seen people in their fifties that had worked there all their life having health issues.
I picked up a part-time job working at ISU in Agronomy, which led into a full-time position for close to ten years before my funding ended and I got laid off. That was my favorite job.
I then picked up a full-time job working for Pau Seeds. I was on the road all the time, and I learned a lot about the seed corn industry. Later I was able to get a position closer to home. That was with Lima Grain, a soybean seed company.
I then decided to go to college and get a degree in Business Information Systems. I graduated with a high GPA, but life sometimes takes us in another direction. My parents needed help, and I decided to take care of them. My sister and her husband helped too. My father passed away in 2003 and my mom in 2009.
In 2007, while I was helping care for my parents, I started a part-time position at the Iowa State Seed Science Center. After my mom passed, that position became full time, and I worked there until I had to retire early because of my Ménière's disease. That was in 2023. I am now able to receive retirement benefits because of my age.
