Summitcrest

Summitcrest credits its beginning to the purchase of a single 160-acre farm near the tiny town of Summitville, Ohio, by Fred "Pete" Johnson in 1938. The farm was purchased for the purpose of having a future supply of clay and shale for the family-owned brick works in town. As this supply was not needed at the time of purchase the family maintained the farm and ran a small dairy. The dairy was discontinued when war broke out in 1942 and Pete and his sons, Fred and Pete Jr., all volunteered for service.

In 1949 after the family returned home and restarted the family enterprises the Johnsons purchased their first registered Angus cow. In 1954 Pete Johnson died and his two sons Fred & Pete Jr. took over all of the family businesses including the farm. Fred took a direct role in growing the ranch by adding acreage and building the cow herd. He chose the name of "Summitcrest" and adopted its motto "Improve the Land & Improve the Breed."

In the late '50s and early '60s Summitcrest achieved national prominence when its main herd sire "Dor Macs Bardoleamear 60" was named sire of the year. During this period the Ohio farm continued to grow under Fred's direction in size as well as cattle numbers. In 1960 Fred married his wife Betty and they started and raised their family on the Summitcrest homestead. Their four children, Sam, Jeff, Vicky and Cindy, who are now the current owners of Summitcrest, all grew up on the farm and involved themselves with the cattle and farming. Henry Bergfeld was hired in 1968 to oversee the Angus operation. He is currently still the manager after 36 plus years.

In 1970 Fred realized that the market for commercial bulls was diminishing in the East and that Summitcrest needed to expand in the West if it wanted to grow. Fred purchased the Fremont, IA, location to do just that. In 1973 he purchased the first land in Nebraska. In the spring of 1972 Summitcrest held its first bull sale In Fremont Ia, a tradition that has continued to this day. The first annual bull sale for the Nebraska ranch was held in the spring of 1978.

In 1982 Summitcrest was incorporated and was separated from the other family business and became wholly owned by Fred, Betty and their four children. Summitcrest has been run as a fully-independent business since that time.

During the '70s '80s & '90s Fred and Henry Bergfeld continued to grow the ranches in size of cattle and quality. Fred’s two sons Sam and Jeff both took on full-time responsibilities with the company in the mid-1980s. Jeff took on the management of the Nebraska ranch farm and feedlot. Sam Johnson remained in Ohio and developed its financial and production systems.

In 1995 at the age of 80, Fred retired as president of Summitcrest and he and his wife Betty started The Loup River Ranch. This ranch was also expanded and populated with registered Angus cattle. In 2002 Summitcrest assumed the operations of the Loup River Ranch and the cow herd was combined with that of Summitcrest. Fred and Betty maintain ownership of the ranch and are still actively engaged with its affairs and still assist in countless ways in the operations of Summitcrest.

Summitcrest has always been and continues today as a family-run operation and looks forward to the involvement of the fourth generation of the Johnson family to "improve the land and improve the breed" and to continue the legacy and the example of its Patriarch, Fred Johnson.