John R. Ponder was born in Cumberland County, Tennessee and moved to Hammond, IL in 1863. In 1887, he purchased 1300 acres as the original founder of Ponder Farms and Ponder Seed Company. He retired from farming in 1910 and moved to Urbana, IL so that his children, Ray, Wilbur, and Wilma could attend the University of Illinois. Upon graduation from the U of I, Ray Boyd Ponder farmed and maintained the successful hybrid seed company until his retirement. His son, Harold Ray Ponder, obtained a degree in business administration from Millikin University and began his 41 year career in 1967. Joshua Ross Ponder officially took over the family farm in 1998 after his graduation from Eastern Illinois University. He worked along side his father until Harold's untimely death in 2008. Over 130 years later, Ponder Farms, Inc. carries the same values of intergrity, hard work, and stewardship of the land that it did at it's inception.