This Idaho Falls farmer raises camels — and he's hoping his historic farm survives

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Jeral Williams, an Idaho Falls farmer, raises camels on his 80-acre farm.
• The farm, a Century Farm, has been in the family for generations.
• Williams hopes his children will preserve the farm despite development pressures.

IDAHO FALLS — An 80-acre spread off Yellowstone Highway in Idaho Falls is where Jeral Williams has called home all his life.

It was here that he grew up farming with his dad. He and his wife, Jenine, raised eight kids together, while also raising wheat, alfalfa, cattle, bison and camels.

"We've had the camels for about 14 years," Jeral Williams tells EastIdahoNews.com. "I would've rather had an elephant, but I couldn't find one, so camels seemed like they would be fun."

Jeral Williams is often seen at parades, parties, live Nativity scenes and other community events with his camels. He says there's no practical reason to have them. For him, it's about making people smile.

"It's fun to go in a parade, and people aren't expecting (to see camels)," Jeral Williams says. "When they see them, their face — it takes them a little bit to comprehend what they're seeing, and then after that it's a big smile."

Williams and Sons Farm has been in the family for four generations. It was recently recognized as an Idaho Century Farm by the Idaho State Historical Society and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

State officials stopped by his home and presented him with a sign noting the designation that the Williams can display on their property.

Williams said "it was really nice to be recognized" in a world where small farms are disappearing.

"So many of these farms are being replaced with housing developments. If you look into the next 100 years, they're all going to be covered with asphalt, street lights and apartment buildings," Williams said. "It's coming quite rapidly, and it's sad."

A 135-year-old farm

The family farm dates back to 1891, and the original owner was James Irwin, a man to whom Williams is not related. Irwin's reasons for buying the farm are unclear. Williams said he's unfamiliar with his background. All he knows is that Irwin bought the property from the federal government the same year Eagle Rock changed its name to Idaho Falls and the year after Idaho became the nation's 43rd state.

It's possible that Irwin's purchase of the land was motivated by the Homestead Act of 1862. The bill promoted westward settlement and the development of the American frontier and made 160 acres of surveyed government land available to anyone who wanted to claim it. Those who did so were required to live on and "improve" their plot by cultivating it. After five years, they would own it free and clear, providing they did their part.

"I'm not sure (about any of that), but Irwin was the first registered owner," Williams said. "There was probably a lot of sagebrush back then. I'm not sure who cleared the land. Over the years, they've dug irrigation canals, so there was a lot of hard work (in those early years)."

In 1916, Willams' great-great-grandfather, Samuel Hill Jr., bought the land from Irwin. He sold it to his son, Samuel A. Hill, six years later.

It became the Williams farm when Jeral's mother, Ruth Hill, and her husband, Glenden Williams, bought it in the 1970s. Jeral Williams and his wife bought the farm from his parents in 2002.

"That's how it became Williams and Sons," Jeral Williams explains.

Williams, who is now 74, said this year marks 110 years since Jeral's great-great-grandfather became the first member of the family to own the land.

"I've been on this farm 74 of the 110 years (it's been in our family), so I'm pretty near as old as the dirt," he said.

Williams said his dad grew sugar beets and potatoes on the property and raised dairy cows. He has fond memories of hand-picking potatoes and milking cows in an era before farm equipment and automation.

While the farm has raised many different crops and livestock through the years, Williams is the first one to raise bison and camels. Williams laughed when we asked him what his forbearers would think of that.

"They might be (surprised)," he said, laughing.

'I hope we can keep it going'

Today, Williams said none of his kids are involved in the farm full-time. While they still come and help with the work on occasion, it's not how they've chosen to make a living.

Williams said they've had multiple offers from interested buyers over the years who want to develop it. While the idea of having a nice nest egg to live on in his retirement years is appealing, Williams said giving up generations of farmland is sad.

"After getting this award, it makes you think differently about the ground," he said. "Once there's a housing development here, the land is gone forever. The ground will no longer see the sunlight."

"I feel sentimental value for the dirt because I've been here for 74 years," Williams adds. "The younger generation has different values. The mentality is: 'What can I do with the money?' rather than 'What can I do with the dirt?'"

Williams said the farm's future is uncertain at this point, but he hopes it will continue.

"I hope we can keep it going on and that (my kids) don't sell it after I'm gone," he said.

In 2025, multiple farms in eastern Idaho received the Idaho Century Farm award. Among them are Jones Flying Heart Ranch in Rigby, Haderlie Farms in Idaho Falls and Abbott Ranches in Swan Lake.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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