Johnson Land & Livestock focuses on diversity

Diversification is key for Aplington farmer Alex Johnson of Johnson Land & Livestock. Johnson farms row crops and custom feeds hogs with his dad and uncle, custom feeds cattle, runs a trucking business, operates a truck wash, and is partnered with Farmers’ Business Network to provide a local hub for farmers purchasing seed and chemicals.

A graduate of Aplington-Parkersburg High School, Johnson majored in Ag Business at Hawkeye Community College and started farming full time in 2014.

“I never knew any different. Farming and ag has always been there,” Johnson said.

Growing up on the family farm, he and his brother had a lot of fun helping out as kids, and they enjoyed the freedom of riding around the farm on their four-wheelers. Johnson can remember driving a tractor when he was seven years old. Today, he has the joy of taking his 10-month-old daughter riding with him in his tractor. He’s grateful to be part of a family of farmers–and that heritage is something he hopes to pass on to the next generation.

“Setting up success for the next generation, that means a lot,” Johnson said.

During the busy time of year in the spring and fall, his day starts at 5:30 a.m., and it’s 8 or 9 p.m. before he gets home. Throughout the night during the fall, he periodically gets up to check his grain dryer. During the slower times of year, he starts work at 6:30 or 7 p.m. and has a goal of being home by 5 p.m. to spend time with his wife Anna and his daughter.

Every morning starts with livestock chores.

“That’s my number one priority over all. I make sure those are taken care of. I usually have two hours’ worth of chores in the morning with livestock,” Johnson said.

Alex Johnson, his dad Byron and uncle Leon have three barns and custom feed 2500 hogs in each barn from wean to finish for Thome Family Farm out of Addams, Minnesota. The pigs come in at 14 lbs. and five months later are close to market weight at 280 lbs. Generally, three loads a week are sent to the Tyson Foods, JBS USA and Hormel packing plants.

The hog sites are Johnson’s first stop each morning. He does daily recordings, walks through the confinements to check the pens, gives vaccinations, and makes sure the feeders are full and there is adequate water.

Next, he checks on the cattle he custom feeds for Derek Johnson of Allison.

On a six-week rotation, a load of 200 calves comes in from the Ohio area. Each calf weighs in at about 250 lbs. Johnson keeps the calves for 12 weeks. At that point, they are 500 lbs., and they go to Hummel’s finishing plots, where they are finished out to market weight at around 1,300 lbs. and sold to JBS in Green Bay.

While hogs are kept in a temperature-controlled confinement-style building, the cattle are out in the elements. During the winter, Johnson has to ensure water is thawed, snow is scooped and manure hauled.

“It’s a lot more hands-on,” he said.

Some time ago, Johnson bought a truck to haul his own hogs and cattle. The need for that service expanded, and today he runs three livestock trailers full time.

“With trucking right now, we’re hauling all our own hogs and cattle to packing plants or feed lots, and then we got contracts … to help out local growers and local trucking companies. We have three full time truck drivers who run the state of Iowa,” Johnson said.

When needed, Johnson spends time repairing trucks and working to keep the truckers on the road, as well as taking care of maintenance on equipment and farm machinery.

With biosecurity requirements and the expectation of hog companies that trailers be washed before every load, the Johnsons built a wash at their farm, something that saved them quite a bit of money.

Soon, so many other people were asking to use the wash, that Johnson decided to lease the old Monsanto plant east of Aplington. The plant has a good location on Highway 57, and Johnson opened his truck wash to trucks and tractors, offering soap and power washing as well as a lot for parking livestock and grain trailers.

The truck wash is run by a full-time manager, who works alongside two high schoolers who help out after school.

Farmers Business Network was looking for place to provide a hub for farmers that purchase seed and chemicals through them, so Johnson partnered with the company to provide the warehouse space.

The company focuses on price transparency, offering the same prices regardless of how big or small a farmer’s operation is.

“They buy seed and chemicals wholesale and sell them to farmers at a reasonable price…” Johnson said. “They ship to as close to you as possible. That’s what we’re doing. We’re a place to get a load in, and the farmer comes to pick it up. They don’t have to drive two hours to where the product comes from. They can pick it up locally at any time at their convenience.”

In addition to his businesses, Johnson farms row crops alongside his family, and this year rented some land of his own to raise corn and soybeans. He looks forward to renting more crop ground as the opportunity arises.

“One of the biggest challenges for me as a young farmer is to find row crop ground to rent,” Johnson said. “Where I put my focus is on improving the businesses I have, but ultimately what I want to do is farm – grow corn and soybeans.”

Each day, Johnson stops by the truck wash to make sure everything is running smoothly. He works on loading up shipments for farmers at the warehouse, and during the offseason, he hauls corn and soybeans. He also checks the livestock for a second time each day before heading home.

“I think the best part would be just doing something different every day,” Johnson said.

The hardest part of the job is managing so many different endeavors.

“There are definitely days where I feel I’m getting nothing done that needs to be done as I run around to fix a bunch of problems,” Johnson said.

In spite of all the busyness, he believes in never losing sight of what’s important in life: God and family.

“I think the number one thing is to set up a good future for my family, and continue as well with what my dad and grandpa and everyone before him has done to take care of the land, and to take pride in what God has given,” Johnson said. “At the same time, we like to support the local [economy], offer jobs, and a service locally. That would be our motivating factor.”

Living in the Aplington-Parkersburg area, he appreciates the small town feel – and the fact that if you have a question about anything, from repairs to what chemicals to spray in a field, there’s always someone you know who can answer your questions. People are happy to help.

The outlook for the future may be challenging with the impact of COVID-19 on the markets and on the national and world economy. Farming has never been easy, and perhaps it never will be.

“If you didn’t have faith in God, I don’t know how you would get through the day as a farmer,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing more daunting than mother nature, but God has the ultimate role in that. With faith in him you can get things done, knowing it’s tough, but it’s going to get better.”

Johnson encourages young farmers to stick in there, pay attention to where they are at financially, and work smarter. Farming has given him a respect for the land and respect for a good day’s work.

“Hard work and determination pays off in the long run,” he said.