Dan was born and raised near Garden Plain, Kansas where he continues to reside and work on his family's farm. He graduated from Kansas State University and has held various leadership positions in key organizations related to the dairy and agriculture industry. Dan is also an active member in his church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Cheney.

Dan has been married to Norene for over 42 years. Dan and Norene have five children, and their family continues to grow. Their oldest daughter, Emily, lives in Waco, Texas with her husband, Ethan, and son, Tyler, 17. Jon, who works with Dan on the family farm, is married to Emily, and they have two daughters, Abigail, 9, and Jenevieve, 8, and two sons , Willie, 5, and Otis, 3. Rachel, married to Jeffrey, has three daughters,  Brooklyn, 4, Lacy, 2, and Elizabeth, 10 months; they live near Mount Hope. Keith is a professor of education at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, and their youngest daughter, Kim, married to Marshall, lives in Florida where Marshall works as research scientist.

Dan is an active member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Cheney. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and gardening when he has a chance.

Elected to the State House in 2008, Dan worked to make sure that the values and interests of the citizens in the 93rd District were represented. After districts were redrawn in 2012, Dan ran and was elected to the Kansas Senate.  For the past eight years, Dan has been privileged to serve  as the Senator for the 26th district of Kansas.