Johnson Family Cattle

08/07/2026

The GIANT Janet saga continues….

The smaller pumpkin in the photo is the hand-pollinated pumpkin, and the one Isaac hoped would continue to grow. It was positioned on the vine better, in a better location on the vine and since hand-pollinated he knew it was pollinated with pollen from the GIANT plant.
{I don’t pretend to be an expert, I had to ask a lot of questions.}

He allowed the larger pumpkin to grow as backup. It was pollinated by bees while we were at the National Junior Angus Show, so while it was likely pollinated using pollen from GIANT Janet, there’s always a chance bees took pollen from the regular pumpkin patch.

Photo on the left is Tuesday
Photo on the right is tonight (Thursday)

A lot can change in two days and when he checked it this afternoon, it appeared the small pumpkin was aborting (see that white at the base). 😔 Failed attempt #3.

So he’s onto the last opportunity for the year and thankful he allowed that larger pumpkin to keep growing.🤞🏻He tells me that deep yellow color is a good sign, that they don’t usually fail after they are that color yellow. I have no idea if he’s right about that, but I believe him. He’s optimistic and I admire his drive to keep trying.

- The Pumpkin Famer’s Mom 🎃

08/03/2026

The Minix Stockman Contest at the National Junior Angus Show recognizes those who compete outside the show ring in the judging contest, quiz bowl written exam, and skill-a-thon.

Proud of our girl and her achievement!! Charlotte earned the highest all-around score in her respective age division.

Four juniors earn prestigious stockman award for elite skills across multiple contests.

08/02/2026

Molds going on some pumpkins tonight. 💀🎃
Hoping for some creepy looking faces.
Time will tell….

07/31/2026

I came out of retirement this week to work in the show barn while Isaac was away for a few days at an FFA event.

I noticed Charlotte quietly reviewing my work and going behind me to work hair a bit more, but she didn’t say anything.

Not like a few weeks back when she pulled a stool up to the kitchen counter while I was doing dishes. (This is where all the serious conversations happen.)

Somehow, we got talking about showing cattle, growing up, and who would show if they weren’t around. I mentioned that both Dad and I were perfectly capable.

And that sweet innocent girl looked at me and said, “𝐌𝐨𝐦, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰?”

It hit me that she’s never seen me in the show ring. Somewhere around 15 years ago my role transitioned to chasing kids and then as they grew, to helping get them in the show ring.

I told her, “Yes, I know how to show. I’ve been around the show ring a time or two. 😆 I showed quite a bit when I was your age and was a pretty good showman, just like you.”

Without missing a beat, she asked,
"𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬?"

And the way she said it made it sound like no one could possibly win showmanship with a Hereford.
I’m still not over that comment. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I did what any mature, grown adult would do – I called my mom. I know she has home videos of me in the show ring that she recorded with a camcorder. And while she still has the tapes, the VCR no longer works. ☹

So, if there’s anyone out there who can vouch for the fact I did win showmanship a time or two…𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃…please talk to my children the next time you see them. 🤣

07/28/2026

An update on Giant Janet
Here’s a long overdue update on Giant Janet, the pumpkin plant.

Back in early July, she was growing a nice fruit, but Isaac determined it was not set on the vine very well. Since it was early, and he had pollinated a few others that were growing well, he cut it off striving for something better.

When we left for the National Junior Angus Show on July 11 , the second fruit was growing as it normally should and we were all hopeful this was “the one.” While we were gone, there was some wonky weather with two to three days of extreme heat and humidity. We returned home to find a pumpkin that looked oddly flat. Isaac’s pumpkin expert friend said something went wrong in the cell division process and basically it grew too quickly horizontally and not vertically. Thus, it was a flat shaped pumpkin that would never grow into a normal shape.

So, onto the third attempt. A couple pumpkins were self-pollinated while we were gone and he has allowed those to grow. In the meantime, he hand pollinated another pumpkin last week. Yesterday, those two self-pollinated pumpkins got hit hard by the massive hail storm and likely won’t make it. 🤦🏼‍♀️ However, the hand-pollinated pumpkin seems to continue growing. It’s only about five days after pollination (DAP) so time will tell, but we’re sure hoping third times a charm!

Luckily, our son is persistent, resilient and driven to keep trying. Stay tuned….

Photo: Attempt number two that grew too wide, too fast and is in the process of being cut off the vine this week. 😢

07/27/2026

Thankful for the moisture, but WOW, 😳 this is some of the largest hail we’ve seen! 😬

07/27/2026

I’ve been slacking on farm updates this summer (a few of you have even mentioned this😆).

These cute little chicks arrived about three days before we left for the National Junior Angus Show. Thanks to our great chore help for pitching in and taking care of more than just cattle.

They are no longer this cute - see video posted in the comments for their current status at just shy of 3 weeks old. 

07/25/2026

This is your friendly reminder, there are only 98 days until Halloween. 🎃 👻

07/08/2026

UPDATE: SOLD!
That's a wrap on 2026 beef reservations! We do have an inventory of individual cuts, so feel free to reach out if that is of interest to you.

Here's an update to our beef availability posted earlier in the week.
We are down to one final quarter available for the year.

You read that correctly... ‼️Last QUARTER of the YEAR‼️

And it's available soon, so contact us ASAP.

07/06/2026

📣 This is officially the last call for beef reservations in 2026. After these are filled, our reservation book will close for the year.

UPDATE: Two of the November quarters has been reserved; only a 1/4 is available for November.

Note: You do not need to purchase the entire 1/2 or 3/4, as it is listed below. For example, you can reserve a quarter beef.