Dennis Johnston

Johnston Farms
Edison, California

Road to the Farm

Dennis is a third generation farmer, working side by side with his family in the San Joaquin Valley since he was 10 years old. One year, his father, Don, had a few potato breeders in from Colorado State University. A young Dennis was taken by the stories the visitors told about the beauty of Colorado. Plus, as Dennis mentioned, “They told me beer was legal at 18 in Colorado.”

And so, Dennis Johnston went to Colorado State University, and got his degree in Ag Business Management. “It was real life experience because, as a student and a researcher, I was able to work with real farmers and those people who weren’t afraid to get outside and understand the process of growing food.” That practical, real-life knowledge remains a passion for Dennis today.

Crisis in the Industry

“There are daily crises in our work, yes, but nothing is more troubling than the overall picture – seeing the exodus of the family farmer,” says Dennis. “Rules and regulations are crazy and the only ones than can keep up with those are the big corporations, which is ironic because the American consumer – especially these days – yearn for the family farmer.

“It is sad, because there are not enough young people coming into this deal. I am hopeful that my son, a junior at Colorado State, will come into the business. I guess in every crisis there is an opportunity and if young people train to be ag managers and have a working knowledge of farming, they’ll have a wide open field because these big corporations are going to need that expertise.”

The Farming Business

As Dennis talks about the pride of his family business, he is not shy about the reasons. “I know it may not be a ‘socially acceptable’ to say, but we are here to make money. I, like everyone else, work for a living. Fortunately, I enjoy what I do, but if we don’t make money, we can’t stay in business. It’s that simple. The food we grow is good for the health of America and I’m proud of that. I just hope we can continue for generations to come.”

The Johnston Family

Dennis has been married to his wife, Stacey, for 25 years. They have three children, Jackie, Brian and Julia.