Adam Timmerman was born and raised in Cherokee, Iowa. He attended college, playing football for South Dakota State University, and eventually was brought on by the Green Bay Packers in 1995 as a final round draft pick.  Timmerman enjoyed four seasons as a Packer; even coming a way with 2 Superbowl wins under his belt before signing with the Rams in 1999. After a 12-year pro career, Timmerman is now back in Cherokee with his wife Jana and their three children. He farms with his brother and nephews and is a shareholder and general manager of Icon Ag & Turf, a John Deere dealership with 5 locations in northwest Iowa.

Timmerman believes football fields and farms fields have a great amount in common but farming is overall harder. He says, “They are both tough on you physically and mentally. And so is the John Deere dealership. I tell people I think I take more abuse now than when I played football. Kind of tongue-in-cheek in that a little bit. It’s enjoyable, but it’s tough, and it is a way of life. For all the people who farm out there, they know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Still, Timmerman is aware that his exposure to actual time on the farm is limited due to having 5 dealership locations to run.  With over 100 employees, and his duty as general manager, Timmerman spends the majority of his time in dealerships because they demand his time. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss spending time farming. “I would like to do a little more farming. But it is a nice release as well to go do some farming and spend some time with the cattle,” says Timmerman. 

With AgriVision Equipment’s pending acquisition of Icon Ag & Turf, Timmerman may get this chance to do more farming. He understand that farming is a way of life and that growing up around it taught him responsibility and gave him a great work ethic. “When you smell dirt in the spring, when that dirt starts getting turned over, you get that itch to get out there. It’s been great to get back and get involved in agriculture,” says Timmerman.  “I’m very bullish on it long-term. We are in a downturn right now, obviously, with some commodity prices, but historically, it’s still up there.”

“I am pleased and excited for the next phase in Icon’s growth. AgriVision Equipment’s innovative culture combined with our culture of Iconic service will be a great fit for our customers and employees,” Timmerman says. “The two organizations values, philosophies and customer focus are inspiring to me and will take the new organization and the communities they serve into a successful future together,”

As for football, Timmerman says he still follows his old teams. If he has time to catch any games he will likely be tuning into South Dakota State, the Packers, the Rams, or even the Carolina Panthers where his old offensive line coach, John Matsko now coaches.

To read Timmerman’s complete Q&A with Successful Farming here.