Our Story

In the year 1911 Edward Johnson went to Montana where he filed on a homestead in the Genevieve community and built a two-room shack for his family in 1912. In the spring of 1913, Christina, with their four small children-Nora, Laurence, Earnest, and Myrtle-arrived in Hinsdale on a blustery day. They were met by a neighbor from the north community, and rode the twenty-seven miles in a two-seated buggy drawn by a fast team of horses.

The shack was enlarged as the family grew. Joseph, Lester, Mildred, Herman, Luella, and Ed Jr. joined the family. Joseph died at the age of two from complications of whooping cough.

In 1938 Ed and Christina moved to an acreage a mile east of Hinsdale. Lester took over the operation in 1957. He and Ruth along with their three sons, Dennis, Darwin, and Donald, split their time between school activities in Hinsdale and working the ranch.

Eventually Darwin became the next in line of succession to operate the ranch. Darwin and Sandy expanded the acres to include adjacent properties in the Genevieve area, raising Matthew and Paige with a love for the land.

Influenced and inspired by the numerous generations of farmers populating this family, Matt’s passion for farming is deeply rooted. It is only natural that he would step into the role of owner/operator with his wife Sonja and sons, Chaz and Brett in 2006. Implementing some of the same practices of the past generations’ care for the land it was an easy step into transitioning to organic agriculture. Since that time, Johnson Ranch been able to again expand its acreage, diversify crops, and learn new ways to maintain sustainability.