John Christianson

Hometown: Mohall, ND
Education: B.S. Crop and Weed Science, NDSU (2005)

How did you get started in agriculture?
Like many, I grew up in a small town and was around a lot of agriculture, but I didn’t grow up on a farm. The summer after my freshman year at NDSU, I was given the opportunity to be a weed science intern for Dr. Brian Jenks at the NDSU-NCREC in Minot. During that summer I was given a crash course in weed science and even got the chance to compete in the North Central Collegiate Weed Science Competition. I fell in love with it that summer, switched my major to Crop and Weed, and the rest is history.

Work career and responsibilities?

• Two summer internships with NDSU-NCREC in Minot and one with Bayer in Fargo.
• 8 years as a retail agronomist in Bottineau, ND doing everything: soil sampling, field scouting, seed, fertilizer, chemical sales, as well as custom application.
• The past 6+ years I’ve been in Fargo, ND with Bayer in a technical sales role. I get to work with agronomists and CCAs throughout the region helping educate them on our chemistry portfolio.

Why be a CCA?
I didn’t know much about the CCA program until my employer suggested I become certified. I’m glad I did because I have made a lot of connections with people and it’s opened my eyes to a lot of information and ideas that I’m not sure I would have been exposed to without it.

Hobbies outside of Ag:
Hunting, fishing, golf, backyard BBQ enthusiast, and official for high school football and basketball.