Poultry Co-operative Transforms Utah Agriculture

The switch from Utah being a net importer of turkeys to becoming a substantial exporter in the 1920s can be attributed to the efforts of one man -- Benjamin Brown -- and the poultry co-operative he organized.

Today, Sanpete County is notable for its poultry operations. But before World War I, Utah imported more turkeys, chickens, and eggs than it produced. After the war, poultry growers decided that rather than competing with each other, they could work together to establish a business co-operative that would turn Utah into an exporter of eggs, chickens, and turkeys.

It all started when Benjamin Brown left Clarion, the failed Jewish farming colony that he helped establish in Sanpete County. Brown and his brother were agriculturalists and businessmen and built a profitable cold storage facility in Gunnison. In 1922, Brown began organizing nearby poultry farmers in Manti, Nephi, and Richfield into a regional co-operative called the Central Utah Poultry Association. Extension agents from Utah State Agricultural College and agricultural experts from the federal government taught the farmers valuable skills.

Raising birds is one thing, but preparing them to reach a mass market is something else entirely. The co-operative helped the farmers grade and prepare their poultry products in a standardized way. It also pooled the products from different farmers, arranged for their export on railroad cars, and collectively advertised Utah poultry products. The association connected farmers in central Utah to valuable markets in California, and Brown's cold storage facility proved useful for getting birds ready for transport over such distances. Working together in this way allowed all of the farmers to share in the benefits.

With the co-op's success, Brown set his sights on creating a broader statewide network. Renamed the Utah Poultry Association in 1923, the co-op attracted more than five hundred members, including new members from Utah and Salt Lake Counties. Brown was the marketing agent and one of his initiatives promoted the trademark "milk white" eggs laid by Utah chickens. These eggs made up a large part of the co-op's sales, although more and more farmers began to raise turkeys.

In 1961, the Utah Poultry Association became the Intermountain Farmers Association -- or IFA -- which is still a member-owned co-operative. These days, the turkey industry in Sanpete County is still going strong. And IFA country stores supply farming goods for rural places throughout the state. Both of these are part of Benjamin Brown's lasting legacy.