Wayne Johnson Sr of Hillside Farms in Schuyler – Thank A Farmer

We’ve teamed up with Whites Farm Supply and James Wesley to ‘Thank a Farmer.’ One farmer will be Wesley’s special guest at our Wild West FrogFest and Rodeo June 14th at Herkimer County Fairgrounds. Today we recognize Wayne Johnson Sr of Hillside Farms in Schuyler, nominated by Michael Faubert.

I have a special Thank a Farmer that comes in two parts. First, I would like to thank my father in law, Wayne Johnson, Sr. of Hillside Farms in Schuyler, which has been in the Johnson name for 200 years. Wayne was a dairy farmer all his life, specializing in Guernsey cows, with a few Holsteins and Ayrshires mixed in. Wayne never missed showing his cows at the Herkimer County Fair, and is the only person to do so for 50 consecutive years. You could always find him at the cattle palace on show day, enjoying the company of his grandchildren (whom he loved dearly) between class showings. Besides farming, he was part of the Schuyler VFD, bowled regularly in Ilion, and was involved with anything he could be with his family and friends. Sadly, Wayne was killed in an accident this past December while working his farm. He is deeply missed by everyone who knew him, and even those who he simply waved to as they drove by, but never officially met.

This brings me to the part two of this. Thank you to the farming community that is Schuyler. They pulled together and helped the family get through a very difficult time. When they finished their chores, they would head to Hillside to make sure the cows were taken care of and the chores done around there. Special thanks to the Simmons family, the Grose family, Ricci family and the Ludwig family. The cows are gone and all is quiet now, But the barn will never be empty from all the love and hard work that Wayne put into it.

Thank you Michael for your nomination and thank you Wayne Johnson Sr of Hillside Farms in Schuyler for what you do everyday. We’ll put you in the random drawing to be James Wesley’s special guests at FrogFest June 13th, so he can ‘Thank a Farmer.’