Mr. E. Marvin Johnson

The late E. Marvin Johnson was born into a modest hard-working, close knit rural family in Southeastern NC during the time of the great depression. He graduated from Rose Hill High School and joined the Merchant Marines, serving for 2 years. He married Grace Powell in 1949 and they raised 4 children. Marvin Johnson and his brother, Bizzell, began their venture into the poultry business by selling live turkeys from their parents farm on the streets of Rose Hill, NC. Operating as Nash Johnson’s and Sons, Inc., Nash Johnson and his sons built the first feed mill in Rose Hill in 1955. With surplus capacity from the mill, the Johnson’s expanded their business to include a turkey hatchery and grow-out operation. In 1962, he obtained an ownership interest in Rose Hill Poultry, a chicken plant in Rose Hill and a turkey processing plant in Raeford, NC. In 1967, the Johnsons became the sole owners of Rose Hill Poultry. In 1974, Raeford Turkey Farms became known as “House of Raeford” and eventually, Rose Hill Poultry became part of it. Today, House of Raeford Farms, Inc., has annual sales of over $1 Billion and employs more than 6,300 employees. Marvin Johnson was famous for what his family called his “Marvinisms”, including “There are no culls in this crowd,” “If you don’t know, say you don’t know,” and “You can’t read how to swim.”