The History of Elm Crest Farm

Elm Crest Farm has been family-owned-and-operated for 4 generations since the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers in Utah Valley in the 1850s. It began as most farms did back then, a homestead with plenty of acres to grow enough food and crops to support a family. In 1921, the Johnson family began focusing their farming efforts on dairy cattle, selling their milk to a local dairy co-operative, and for over 85 years, the farm continued to operate as a dairy.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes: the only thing constant is change. As the family grew and with each succeeding generation, the farm shrunk smaller and smaller. As Utah Valley has grown and faced the pressures of a growing community, many of the acres previously used to grow crops to feed the cattle herd have been eaten up by urban sprawl. In 2007, when the expense of operating a small dairy on a limited number of acres became cost prohibitive and with the last generation of dairy farmers facing retirement, the dairy herd was sold. Since then the family has used the 40 acres of remaining land to grow alfalfa and barley for the few beef cattle that remain and to sell to other local farmers.

Now, in 2010, as more people are becoming aware and informed of the important benefits of buying and consuming locally grown produce, we at Elm Crest Farm recognize what a precious resource we have under our feet that can be an enormous benefit to the community: 40 acres of prime farm land! As our local population increases and costs of shipping rise while the quality of produce purchased at the grocery store declines, we are excited to learn more about providing quality, locally grown, fresh produce. Our plan is to start small, using just a couple of acres, and then expand as business grows.