Joe was born and raised on a diversified farming and livestock operation near Salina, Kansas, active in horse shows, rodeos and 4-H. After graduating high school in 1978, he worked the summer on a Peter Kiewit owned ranch north of Stapleton, Nebraska. He enrolled that fall at Colby Community Junior College in Colby, Kansas, then moved to Guymon, Oklahoma, and attended Panhandle State University on a rodeo scholarship. He worked his way through college for various farmers, ranchers, sale barns and feedlots. He graduated in 1982 with a degree in Ag-Business.

In 1985, Joe became self-employed in the cattle business, order buying, running stockers and feeding cattle at several commercial feedlots in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Also in 1985, he joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, competing primarily in the Saddle Bronc Riding. Joe served on the Executive Board for the Prairie Circuit 1986-1990, and holds a Gold Card Membership to the PRCA.

Joe and his wife Dianne live in Canyon, Texas where he continues his cattle business. He also is a free lance writer, published in Western Horseman, Working Ranch and a short story in Our Time on Route 66. His memoir of Ingrid Simon, a German immigrant, is complete and will be published soon. He is currently working on a trilogy novel about a bucking horse in Pro Rodeo.

Joe joined the AgDefense team in 2022 and is excited about the insurance business. He looks forward to helping cattlemen and farmers manage their risks with Livestock Risk Protection, Livestock Gross Margin and Rainfall Insurance.