Perseverance In The Kalcevic Family

The common thread that ties more than a century of wheat farming together in the Kalcevic family is perseverance. With agriculture experience that starts with memories of feeding team horses to hitch to moldboard plows to prepare the fields for planting, brothers Jim and John Kalcevic’s farming story is one of family, innovation, and most importantly, perseverance.
As the third generation of Kalcevic Family Farms, Jim and Johnny have seen the agricultural industry transform from an enterprise of “Just wanting to feed your own family,” says Jim, to quite literally helping to provide food for the world.
When asked how they have been able to keep the family business successful through five generations, Jim and Johnny are in agreement: honor
your family’s heritage and roll with the times.
The Kalcevic heritage starts in 1878 with Henry (?) Kalcevic immigrating to America from Austria. Settling in what is now Commerce City, Henry began saving money to buy farmland, and then selling it to fellow workers in the smelter that he was also employed in. Eventually, he moved his small farming operation and family to land just outside of Boulder, where he truly began building the brand of Kalcevic Family Farms.
With increasing urbanization around the farm, the family moved again in the mid-1970s, to their current location in Prospect Valley. There, they were truly able to come into their own, utilizing their experiences and innovation to build an operation that would take the name Kalcevic into the 21st century.
Building on their father and grandfather’s experiences, Jim and Johnny set straight to work making their operation cutting edge. Unheard of for the times, they build their own grain storage facility, digging the thousand-bushel holding pit by hand, building their own cement mixer and crane because there weren’t any commercially available, and wiring in the electricity themselves. This facility not only helped the farm better preserve the quality of their product, but also enabled the family to market their grain when they wanted, and being able to take advantage of highs in the market.
While the brothers’ innovative attitude and commitment to the pursuit of better has always been a byword for the family, there were tough times to weather as well. Their memories of droughts every decade or so, severe market lows in the 1980s and ‘90s, and hail storms with ice the size of softballs beg the question, “How did you survive?”
The answer is simple, says Jim.
“We just persevered. Crop ruined by hail? Put some cattle on it. Adapt, spread your risk, and just persevere.” Johnny adds, “If you wait to change until you’re forced to, you’ll fail. Learn from the experiences of those who came before, and then just try to do better.”
That predisposition to adaptation has served the Kalcevics well, both in the field and the marketplace. Converting the farmland to no-till, trying and then utilizing newer technology for harvest such as combine stripper heads, and leaving field residue to catch and hold more moisture are just a few of the ways the family strives to incorporate conservation into their operation.
Changing consumer tastes have also shaped the business plan for the Kalcevics. Says Johnny, “You’ve got produce a product people want, otherwise what’s the point?” Jim remembers when the only wheat variety they planted was Hard Turkey Red (?). Now, with consumer demands for higher protein, better-baking flour, among others, you’ve got to fulfill several different needs at once, says Jim. “The future of marketing is being aware of what you’re consumer wants, anticipating those needs, and striving to produce the highest quality product you can,” says
Jim.
Ultimately, say Jim and Johnny, success is generational. “Our next generation is full of rockstar people who have taken our challenges and experiences, and built upon them. We did the same. Honor your heritage, take the job to heart, and just persevere.”