Idaho Producer Features

Four farms, one family vision

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

“He’s probably one of the most successful farmers I know,” says Kyle Rupp of his dad, Gary. “He started from the ground up and made all of this possible.”

First-generation rancher builds legacy operation

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

He calls himself a Rigby town kid, but Dennis Lake was truly his grandfather’s right-hand man on the ranch just north of town. At 88, Lake is still a critical part of the operation.

Adapting in a down market: The Garner family’s approach

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:32:22 -0400

As an individual farm that relies largely on the sugarbeet crop, Garner recognizes the need to meet current and future challenges with efficiency, water management and “loosening the reins” to involve the younger generation.

Four generations deep: Growing potatoes, growing family

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Hamer Farms grows about 1,500 acres of potatoes, along with alfalfa, corn, wheat and mustard. The farm and packing operation together employ almost 60 people.

In harmony with land and family

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

With the third and fourth generations at the helm today, Wittman Farms is as committed to the vision of stewardship and intentional business management as ever.

Celebrating the future of Idaho ranching: ICA 2025 Heifer of the Year

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

For Avery Oswald of Rigby, Idaho, winning the Idaho Cattle Association (ICA) 2025 Heifer of the Year (HOY) program was a key milestone in her dream of running her own cattle operation someday.

While shepherds watched their flocks by night

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Taking the familiar Christmas pageant to the next level, living nativities seek to immerse visitors in the events surrounding Jesus’s birth, without ever leaving Idaho. And behind the scenes of many of these living nativities are the ranches and pet owners that contribute animals – and the sights, sounds, textures and smells that they bring – to the experience.

Thomas Cattle Company: Bridging tradition and innovation in the beef industry

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Thomas Cattle Company, a fourth-generation cow-calf operation based in Oreana, Idaho, is making strategic moves to stay cutting-edge in today’s rapidly evolving agricultural landscape. While preserving the foundational elements of their ranch, Seth and Elizabeth Thomas, and Logan and Kristin Thomas, are focused on innovating their business model to ensure long-term success for future generations.

Reed’s Dairy rebuilds a new beginning after a fire tragedy

frances@agproud.com — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

When a devastating fire destroyed Reed’s Dairy on Jan. 18, 2024, second-generation dairy farmer Alan Reed faced what could have been the end of his dairy in Idaho Falls. Instead, thanks to a fire plan, quick action, community support and industry connections, not a single person or cow was lost. Reed is now turning tragedy into opportunity with a complete rebuild.

Pocket Ranch revives family dairy tradition with a creamery

frances@agproud.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Growing up, Joey Bingham often heard stories about his dad and grandpa running a small creamery and ice cream parlor in Twin Falls, Idaho. Inspired by those memories, he decided to diversify and build his own creamery since it always fascinated him as a kid.

Sharing the West through Idaho’s agritourism industry

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Step onto Lowe Family Farmstead near Kuna and you’ll find a conventional farm growing feed corn and wheat. And if you come in the fall, you’ll find a corn maze, hayrides, livestock interactions and dozens of other on-the-farm activity options.

From wheat fields to meeting rooms

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Farming in Rockland, Idaho, was almost an accident for the Kress family from Germany.

Young farmer, big future: Stepping into leadership on the family farm

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As the average age for Idaho producers slowly rises – 56.6 years old in 2022, according to USDA – Milo is among the 9% of Idaho’s farmers and ranchers under age 35. “In the 30-mile radius around our farm, there are not a lot of young farmers,” he says. “There’s maybe three coming back to farm with dad, including me.” It’s no wonder, with commodity prices failing to offset rising costs of land and inputs.

A dream come true at Copper Cow Creamery

kimmi@agproud.com — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Siska Reece has dreamed about having an on-farm creamery since she was 15 years old. That dream became a reality last summer when her family began bottling A2A2 whole nonhomogenized milk and cream and making ice cream with some of the milk produced on their Idaho dairy farm.

From catfish to caviar and from one generation to the next

Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

“My business philosophy was to start small and grow slow,” Ray says. Today, he has seven small farms with a processing plant and a feed mill. He produces close to 1 million pounds per year of trout, catfish, tilapia, sturgeon and caviar. At their peak production (prior to the pandemic), they produced over 1.5 million pounds per year.

Maximizing yields, strengthening bonds at R.L. Brown Farms

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Amid higher input and machinery costs, maximizing profitability means expanding landholdings for some farmers – that’s one way to go. Another way to go is through maximizing yields on current cropland, which is the route R.L. Brown Farms of Jerome, Idaho, has chosen.

Igniting the passion for the sheep industry in today’s youth

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Johnston Club Lambs’ market is 95% selling club lambs to youth to show in 4-H and FFA. Lambs are sold to youth throughout the states, from local kids in Payette County to kids living in the suburbs of Houston, Texas.

The Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame 2025 honorees

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame recognizes the men and women who have made positive impacts on the livestock industry. The newest inductees were honored on April 8 during the organization’s 64th annual banquet in Twin Falls.

Farmers and ranchers improve soil with regenerative ag strategies

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Regenerative agriculture is about farming and ranching in a way that supports people, the environment and soil health by employing specific practices that vary from one region to another.

Shaw Cattle Co.: Building a legacy of high-quality beef through advanced genetics and sustainability

cmiller@idbeef.org — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Like many Idaho beef ranching operations, Shaw Cattle Co. stands as a testament to the power of tradition, innovation and family values. A fourth-generation seedstock operation located in Caldwell, the ranch specializes in registered purebred Angus and Hereford cattle. Tucker Shaw and his family work together to uphold its legacy while embracing modern practices to shape the future of the beef industry.

Ladd Wahlen Farms: It’s really about the roots

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

At Ladd Wahlen Farms, it begins with roots (small r) and ends with Roots (capital R).

New barn makes winter work days better at Creekside Dairy

walt.cooley@agproud.com — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Winter work days are much better for dairyman Cameron Turner this year. This is the second winter he and his family’s dairy will be milking cows with robots in an enclosed barn. Their new dairy was finished in the fall of 2023.

Farming on the bluff: From row crops to vineyards

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Surrounded by desert on a bluff above the Payette River sits Payette River Ridge LLC, a farm owned and operated by Derek and Chelicy Wanders. It’s hilly country, and that has presented some challenges.

Healthy soils, healthy crops, healthy food: The Uhlorn family way

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

For some farms, innovation means introducing conservation practices ahead of the curve. For others, it may look like growing crops outside the “normal” local rotation. Elsewhere, it may mean introducing cutting-edge technology. At Uhlorn Family Farms of Ferdinand, all three are at play.

August 10, 2024 Ag Proud Idaho digital magazine

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Changing the desert soil in Oakley, Idaho

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In seven years, organic matter content in Matthews’ fields has gained a point and a half, and the curve is getting steeper now. “So it’s not taking us decades to make that organic matter change,” he says. “It can happen faster than people think. I mean, we’re farming in a desert, after all … but we’ve changed the soil. And you can change the soil, even in a desert.”

A ‘fair’ chance at health care for dairy employees

jschmitt@dairywest.com — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

When immersed in a new culture, language, location and lifestyle, accessing health resources can be infuriating and confusing. Routine tasks, like setting up a dentist appointment and attending doctor’s visits, can be daunting, if not impossible, under these circumstances.

July 10, 2024 Ag Proud Idaho digital magazine

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Serving the community: A Clark family legacy

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Just as a love of farming runs strong in the Clark line, so does a willingness to serve.

June 10, 2024 Ag Proud Idaho digital magazine

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400