2007 Pioneer Dairy Leader Award

2007-CappsRoger D. Capps

Roger D. Capps was born Nov. 14, 1935 at Headrick, Iowa. He and Patty Brooks were married on September 2, 1956. They have three children-Kimberly Capps of St. Louis; Jill Meiners, Chesterfield; and Gregory Capps, Rocky Point, New York, and they had five grandchildren-Amanda, Christopher, Laurie, Amy, and Mallory.

Roger attended Iowa State University and majored in dairy industry management. His employment was with Kraft Foods and Prairie Farms Dairy from 1955 until his death in 2006.

He went to work for Prairie Farms in 1977 as vice president of production and operations. Initially his work involved improving the quality of Prairie Farms cultured products and ice cream. Today Prairie Farms’ cottage cheese and sour cream are the standard of excellence in the dairy industry.

Roger’s work later involved improving the quality of Prairie Farms’ fluid milk and the operating efficiencies of processing plants.

His efforts contributed greatly to Prairie Farms profitability and directly benefited the midwest dairy farmers who improved the quality of their raw milk. This has also benefited retailers and consumers.

Roger was selfless and low key in his approach to business. He shunned the spotlight and tried to emphasize that Prairie Farms’ task was to provide dairy farmers with a good, financially secure market for their milk and consumers with the best quality dairy products possible.

He was an industry visionary and his contributions to Prairie Farms and the dairy industry were numerous. He can be credited for the success of the St. Louis School Milk Test which revolutionized the relationship between dairy processors and schools.

With childhood obesity on the rise and per capita milk consumption by school age children declining, Roger decided it was time to begin treating schools and children as customers and consumers.

He envisioned a test which would improve ingredient quality and packaging while offering more varieties of milk.

Roger enlisted assistance from the industry which included MILKPEP, St. Louis District Dairy Council, and Blue Ridge Paper Company to work together on this project.

The test proved to be an outstanding success with sustained results. Roger was respected throughout the industry and his community for his thorough leadership and was known to bring integrity to everything he did. He was a member of the Carlinville Methodist Church, United Methodist Church Board, and Carlinville National Bank Board.

He served the dairy industry as a member of the International Dairy Foods Association as director from 1989 to 2006; the Milk Industry Foundation as director from 1999 to 2006; MILKPEP; the National Conference of Weights and Measures; Illinois Food Safety Task Force; and Illinois Food and Dairy Sanitarians.

Ed Mullins, Prairie Farms coworker, provided information for this nomination. Roger passed away July 15, 2006.