The Brian and Misty Johnson family of Gotebo received the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee’s District Two Farm and Ranch Family Recognition during the organization’s 77th annual meeting on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Norman.
Brian and Misty, along with their children, Trevor Johnson, Trenton Julian, Kamden Urban and Kailen Urban, raise sheep and cattle and grow wheat, milo and oats. However, it’s the sheep that the family focuses on as they strive to produce high-quality show lambs they sell across the country through word-of-mouth and intensive online marketing.
“The sheep are the tradition in our family,” Brian said. “I am a third-generation sheep farmer and we sell sheep all over the United States.
“I call it kind of an addiction. It gets in your blood: the pedigrees, just going over studying the genetic side of it, being able to make the matings. It’s an ongoing, revolving process where you’re striving to produce that perfect animal.”
The family works together to improve their flock, their herd and their land. The Johnsons’ oldest son, Trevor, recently returned to the farm full-time as the family continues to build upon generations of knowledge and experience.
“That’s what is nice for me on the farming side is for all of our family to be together,” Misty said. “We work hard together, but we also play hard together. We spend a lot of time together, and that makes it possible when we’re all here on the same place.”
Besides their agricultural endeavors, the Johnson family has been able to raise funds to help people in need in their local community though several t-shirt sales every year. Their efforts to help fellow Oklahomans in need is done in remembrance of their son, Tucker, who was tragically killed in an accident in 2011.
“In Tucker’s Memory, we started really just to find a way to repay all the kindness that we received through that hard, dark time of ours,” Misty said. “We initially started a t-shirt sale to raise some money to buy one piece to go on the playground at his elementary school. That just snowballed, and thousands of t-shirts later, we actually built an entire new playground.”
The family has continued selling shirts emblazoned with a message of “Be Kind,” donating the proceeds to people and organizations in need.
It all goes back to the focus on family the Johnsons live out.
“That means everything to us,” Brian said. “The family comes first. The business side – yes, you have to get done what you’re going to do, but family is first. And that’s just how we are.”
OKFB’s Farm & Ranch Family Recognition program honors a farm and ranch family in each of OKFB’s nine districts who upholds the best traditions of Oklahoma agriculture and rural Oklahoma as they raise food and fiber for our state and beyond.
“Our farm and ranch families play a vital role in growing food, caring for the land and making our rural communities vibrant,” said Kitty Beavers, 2018 OKFB WLC Chairman. “Our Women’s Leadership Committee is proud to recognize these families’ hard work and dedication to agriculture and Oklahoma. Each of these families is a tremendous asset to Oklahoma as they continue some of the best traditions our state knows.”
As part of their recognition, the family received a cash award along with a custom sign to hang at their farm gate.
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Annual Meeting is the organization’s largest yearly gathering of farmers and ranchers. At the event, members vote on grassroots policy, elect leaders and award outstanding individuals. OKFB has a presence in all 77 Oklahoma counties and serves as the voice of agriculture and the rural way of life. To learn more, visit www.okfarmbureau.org.
Download a high-resolution photo of the Johnson Family.
Suggested caption:
Brian and Misty Johnson of Gotebo were named the 2018 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee’s Farm & Ranch Family Recognition recipients for OKFB District 2 at the organization’s awards banquet on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the 2018 OKFB annual meeting in Norman.
