Parent Profile: Josh & Brittany Johnston

Tell us a little about yourself. 

It is just me, my husband, Josh, and our 3.5-year-old, Maggie. We are both full time farmers. I also bake various things for the Henderson Farmer’s Market and individual orders as well as make homemade crochet (mainly specialty potholders).

Did you both grow up on or around farming? 

We did both grow up adjacent to farming. My dad grew up on a farm and was a Seed Geneticist for an agriculture retail business for 30+ years, and my mom grew up raising tomatoes and cucumbers for commercial production. I have worked in lots of different areas in agriculture, from teaching to farm loans to the agriculture retail business. Josh’s uncle and maternal grandfather farmed, and Josh always wanted to get back to it. He made an eight year stop in the agricultural retail business and that is how we met. 

What do you enjoy most about farming? What are some of the challenges you have to overcome? 

We enjoy being outside and working in creation every day. Maggie gets to help us at times and be with us much more than if we had a full time job working at a company. Most of all, we love putting the healthiest food possible on the plates of children and adults across northwestern Kentucky. The love for creating healthy soils, healthy food, and healthy customers drives us daily!

It is definitely a challenge though. Nothing in farming is a set schedule. We may have a lot of orders come in on a certain day that causes us to work until midnight preparing for. Or, like this year, the day we leave for a quick 3 day vacation, a pest comes in and destroys crops before we get back. The biggest challenge always revolves around making plans in an unpredictable environment. 

The other biggest challenge is finding employees. Not many people want to do physical work outside in the rain or a heat warning!

Outside of agriculture, what hobbies do you all enjoy as a family? 

Now a days, our hobbies consistently revolve around taking Maggie out to new experiences and baking. In the past, I’ve crafted in every way possible from wreaths to woodwork to welding and metal art. Josh’s hobbies also revolve around Maggie experiences, but he’s a huge UK fan and we try to attend a game or two every year. 

How do you find balance between work and family? 

It’s not easy, that’s for sure! But we try to blend the two. Maggie will go on deliveries with me, or Josh, or all three of us if we are lucky that day. We’ll eat together in the field. The benefit of working for yourself is having that interconnected experience. The other benefit is making your own schedule. We may have to work 14 hours on a Saturday but then do something together on a Tuesday when it rains. The best way to achieve this balance is to be flexible and take opportunities that are given to us. 

For those interested in agriculture and/or farming, what advice would you give to them? 

From landscapers to small vegetable farmers to large row crop farmers, everyone needs help right now! Find someone in an agriculture field and ask for a job. If you like the work, learn what you can! There’s nothing like hands on experience in this field.