Johnson Dairy files for bankruptcy

EATON – The owner of one of the biggest dairy operations in the nation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

John E. Johnson, owner of Johnson Dairy located about five miles east of Eaton at 23016 Weld County Road 74, filed for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Colorado, on Jan. 8.

The filing shows the dairy owing debts totaling between $50 million and $100 million to fewer than 50 creditors and estimated business assets of between $10 million and $50 million. Creditors listed in the filing include New Frontier Bank in Greeley, Agland in Eaton, Dairy Specialists in Evans, Fort Collins Feed, Northern Feed and Bean in Lucerne, and IBA Dairy Depot in LaSalle.

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The largest unsecured creditors listed in the bankruptcy filing included Dave Dyer-TLC Farms in Eaton, $650,000; Western Sugar Cooperative in Chicago, $549,000; Northern Feed and Bean, $512,000; Pacific Ag in Denver, $349,000; Dairy Specialists, $308,000; and Agland, $300,000.

Calls to Johnson and his attorney, Jeffrey Weinman, for comment were not returned prior to the deadline for this report.

The dairy, which includes an 11,000-milk-cow operation, was started by Johnson in 2003. Chapter 11 permits a business to continue operations while implementing a plan for reorganization.