Nestled among the rolling fields of Riverside, Utah, is Capener Farms. Owned and operated by the Capener family, Capener Farms takes pride in growing the best quality crops and putting food on people’s tables.
Utah Farm Family Heritage
Growing crops on Capener Farm is a family affair for fathers, sons, uncles, and cousins. “We’ve all been farming for a long time, probably since we could walk,” says Jay Capener. Jay is co-owner and manager of Capener Farms, running the operation alongside his brother, Glen Capener.
The Capeners have a strong farm family heritage. Glen, Jay and both their families are continuing a legacy that was planted generations prior. The Capeners planted their roots in Northern Utah in an area formerly known as the “Poverty Flats.” Jay says his great-grandfather and great-uncles stayed in a wagon box on the flats for one summer before bringing their families and settling down.
The original farm’s size is up for debate, but it’s safe to say that the operation has grown over the years. When asked how many acres the family now farms, Jason Capener, Jay’s son, gives the standard answer: “Too many when we’re doing the work and not enough when we’re paying the bills.”
The Capener family tackles farming with a sense of humor that has helped five generations manage to work together in production agriculture. The farm is a full-time operation for the Capeners, who ensure they produce a quality, marketable crop.
IFA Agronomy Inputs: Growing Capener Crops
Growing a quality crop starts with the right inputs. Seed, fertilizer, and weed and pest control significantly impact the Capener’s final product. The Capeners work closely with their IFA Agronomy Salesman and Certified Crop Advisor, Doug Mills, to grow crops with the quality they expect.
Capitalizing on Agricultural Windows
Agricultural inputs are an investment, and like any investment, the Capeners want to know they are getting a valuable return. Timing is everything in farming, and one of the most important ways IFA helps the Capeners protect their investment is by ensuring agricultural inputs are applied when and where they are needed.
“We don't have a nine-to-five,” Jason says. “We realize that we're in a different industry where it’s not an option to take weekends off or quit early.”
The Capeners understand it’s time to buckle down when the work's ready. Being on time and accomplishing farm tasks within the right window is essential for achieving farming success. “There's a three-day difference between a good farmer and a poor farmer,” Jay says, repeating words of wisdom from his grandfather, “You can be three days too early or three days too late, but there is a window and an opportunity.”
Helping IFA co-op members like the Capeners capitalize on essential farming windows is important to Doug and IFA’s agronomy team. Having a personal relationship with IFA and their crop advisor helps the Capeners know they are getting the best product and that it will be applied safely, efficiently, and when needed.
Growing Through Challenges
The Capeners know they can rely on IFA when encountering crop problems. When insects, weeds, or other challenges are present, Doug is always ready to help by providing the right products and advice.
“We appreciate having access to a lot of knowledge through IFA,” Jason says. Growing a quality product and remaining profitable in agriculture takes efficient planning and finding solutions to problems as they arise.
Recently, Doug helped the Capeners and other growers in their area overcome a prevalent weed problem. Wheat crops have been thin, and Doug has seen an uptick in weeds, specifically in dryland areas where weeds are showing resistance to certain chemicals.
Doug and the Capeners have balanced many ideas back and forth as they work to find the best solutions. By changing the modes of action they use to combat those weeds, Doug hopes to provide the Capeners with a cleaner product that works and helps improve the harvest next year.
In his ten years working with the Capeners, Doug has enjoyed helping them overcome similar production challenges and seeing their success in growing a quality product. Doug says it is the most rewarding to collaborate with the Capeners and explore the crops they can grow for available markets.
“At the end of the day, markets are how you move your product,” Doug says. “The Capeners produce a high-quality product that is marketable for them and the end user; our goal is helping them achieve a premium for their products.”
Grain Farming Practices That Meet IFA Feed Standards
The Capener family’s relationship with IFA extends beyond improving production with agricultural inputs. Capener Farms also sells a portion of their corn and wheat crop to IFA’s North Region Feed Mill.
IFA feed mills produce quality bagged and customized feeds across the Intermountain West for livestock producers. To produce a quality feed product, IFA mills maintain feed safety and quality standards for the ingredients purchased along with processing third-party quality control certifications through the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Safe Feed/Safe Food programs.
To sell feed ingredients to IFA’s feed mills, suppliers must maintain their own feed safety and quality pro-grams. Bagged feed ingredients are also tested against label guarantees randomly throughout the year. Bulk ingredients undergo visual inspection before offloading and are tested against label guarantees each quarter.
Due to whole grains being regulated differently than processed ingredients by governing bodies, grain suppliers are monitored separately. Although not required to maintain feed safety and quality programs that feed ingredient suppliers must maintain, IFA does require grain suppliers to meet specific USDA grade, bushel weight, and moisture standards for each grain type. Like all bulk ingredients, grain deliveries undergo inspection before offloading, and any delivered grain not meeting these standards is either rejected or, if the non-standard grain is considered safe to feed, may be purchased and used separately from standard grains. As an added precaution, corn samples from each supplier are alsotested quarterly for mycotoxin levels.
Jamie Allen, Quality Assurance Manager at IFA’s feed mills, is responsible for ensuring IFA feeds and the ingredients used in those feeds are up to the co-op’s strict standards. Throughout his career, Jamie has seen thousands of corn and barley samples from all over the country, and he says Capener is one of those supplier she likes seeing come into the mill.
Learn more about how IFA's feed quality standards provide quality and safety in every bite.
Jamie Allen, Quality Assurance Manager at IFA’s feed mills, is responsible for ensuring IFA feeds and the ingredients used in those feeds are up to the co-op’s strict standards. Throughout his career, Jamie has seen thousands of corn and barley samples from all over the country, and he says Capener is one of those suppliers he likes seeing come into the mill.
“Maintaining our high standards for finished feeds begins with the quality of feed ingredients that enter our mills,” Jamie says.
The quality of Capener crops makes them ideal for use in IFA feed products, and the IFA mill provides another marketing outlet for the Capeners. Not only do the Capeners feel they benefit from having another avenue for selling their crops, but they also enjoy knowing that their products are being used locally.
“It is neat to see your products make it to the other end,” Jason says. “Knowing that local dairies and ranchers feed things we produce is a unique feeling.”
From Start to Finish: Connecting Capener Crops with Consumers
Selling local crops enables the Capeners to connect with their end consumers uniquely. Knowing that a part of their crop is going to the local IFA Feed Mill and the local Honeyville Mill allows the Capeners to connect the dots with consumers and show them that their food is produced right in their backyard.
“We feel like we produce a quality crop, and selling to local mills connects us with people we couldn't connect with otherwise,” Jason says. “It also answers the whole ‘locally grown’ narrative important to many people today.”
The explosion of urban sprawl along the I-15 corridor has led to unique challenges for the Capeners and many ag producers regarding land and water usage. Connecting the dots from their farm to people’s plates helps the Capeners tackle growing pressure outside agriculture.
“For me, there's an advantage to being able to say, ‘Well, have you had Gosner's cheese or ice cream, or have you had a steak at Maddox?’” Jason says. “Those things are produced here in this community. Do you want to throw that away?”
Growing a quality product and seeing that product in action in another industry segment helps solidify local food sustainability. Growers like the Capeners feed families in more than just another country or state. They are helping feed their friends and neighbors.
“I like that we're somewhat self-sufficient,” Jason says. “It’s reassuring when you can connect what's in the grocery store to what you do.”
Riding the Ups and Downs of Utah Agriculture
The Capener family has seen their fair share of ups and downs in agriculture. Droughts, floods, and political pressures all present significant challenges, but so can the volatility of agricultural markets.
“You're going to have ups and downs along the way. That's just agriculture,” Jason says. Markets are unpredictable and often volatile, but Jason says it’s important to remember that it’s a cycle and it will come back around.
“When you have good days, you need to tuck a little away for those rainy days,“ Jason says. The Capeners know, too, that it is important not to let markets lead them to emotional decision-making on their farm.
Jason explains that it’s not uncommon for farmers to want to plant their whole farm into a single crop that is suddenly rising in price. Jason says this strategy is a good way to get into trouble in a volatile market quickly.
The Capeners have tried to cushion themselves against the volatility of markets by diversifying their farm. In some years, production is low, and prices are high; in others, production will be high while prices are low. No matter what point of the cycle markets are in, the Capeners remain committed to growing the best-performing crops with the highest quality.
“You never feel bad about having a good production year, even if markets aren't great,” Jason says.
Growing with Generations of Capeners
IFA is grateful for the relationship between Capener Farms and our Agronomy and Feed divisions. The Capener family’s commitment to quality and family is admirable, and we look forward to working with generations of Capeners as they grow the things they love.
Written by Mikyla Bagley, IFA Content Writer, and originally published in the IFA Cooperator magazine (vol. 90, no. 2) Summer 2024.
Mikyla Bagley is a fifth-generation rancher actively involved in her family’s cattle operation. She holds a deep respect for the wisdom and management practices of the farmers and ranchers who have crossed her path, both because of her family operation and otherwise. A deep desire to remain connected to the agriculture industry drove Mikyla to earn her BIS in Agriculture Science and Communication from Southern Utah University. She continues to be involved in her family’s operation while using her degree and life-long experience as IFA’s Content Specialist sharing the experiences and wisdom of IFA experts and Co-op Members.
“The agriculture community is filled with genuine and hard-working men and women whose passion for their lifestyle deserves to be shared. I look forward to helping highlight both their stories and expertise alongside IFA.”
—Mikyla Bagley