Mark began in farm real estate after receiving a BS from Iowa State University in 1979. After graduation he held various positions including feedlot manager, registered cattle herdsman, bank loan officer, farm manager and Iowa State University Land Manager.  This diverse background gives him a unique look at agriculture with a new perspective that he is not afraid to share. His experience in both the production and business side of agriculture as well as extensive farm real estate background provides a look into many situations and can relate to all agricultural audiences.

Mark’s office is in Ames Iowa and works with his wife Margaret and two or more other employees.

One personal highlight is the stand he took after his employment at Iowa State University when he took exception to the way a gift to ISU was handled when the land was sold and funds misallocated. The donor was Marie Powers who wanted her land to not be sold and her funds to be used for seed science purposes but the university decided otherwise under the secrecy of the university foundation. Mark exposed this problem and a year-long news story was covered extensively in the Des Moines Register.  The gift was eventually restored to the proper place but this event lead to the eventual open records decision at the Iowa Supreme Count which opened up the records of the state university foundations. Mark and his co-plaintiff, Arlin Nichols, along with the supporters will go down in open records (sunshine law) notoriety as one of the more important defenses of our rights to government documents. Read about the decision at The Supreme Court of Iowa website or at Sunshinereview.org.