Two Brothers Die in Tragic Idaho Farm Accident
Friday, July 31, 1981
Idaho Press-Tribune
Nampa, Idaho
Two Nampa Brothers Die in Accident
On Thursday evening, two young brothers climbed onto a truckload of barley and never came back down.
Jeff and John Itami, ages eleven and twelve, suffocated after falling into a truckload of grain as it was being unloaded at a cattle feedlot south of Nampa.
The accident happened around 7:00 p.m. as the truck’s V-shaped bed released thousands of pounds of barley through a trapdoor in the floor.
Witnesses later explained that the boys had been tossing grasshoppers into the grain, watching them disappear as the barley rushed downward.
At some point, one of the boys lost his footing and fell in.
The other jumped after him.
The grain moved faster than either child could fight it.
Paramedics arrived quickly, but both boys were already unconscious. They never regained awareness.
The tragedy shook the Nampa community.
Jeff and John were the sons of Dennis and Kay Itami, well-known farmers whose family had earned deep respect across southwest Idaho.
The boys attended Nampa Christian Schools, where their father served as chairman of the board.
Dennis Itami had twice been named Idaho Farmer of the Year — a rare distinction that reflected both his success and his character.
After the accident, farming no longer felt the same.
The land Dennis had worked for decades no longer held his heart.
Grief changed his relationship with work, with purpose, and with the future he had once assumed would unfold in a predictable way.
When a new business opportunity appeared, Dennis listened in a way he might not have before.
He had always believed fiercely in free enterprise — not as a slogan, but as a way of life.
He had never worked for anyone else.
He had never filled out a job application.
He had never punched a time clock or had taxes withheld from a paycheck.
A rugged individualist, Dennis made his own way.
Introduced to Green Barley Grass
One day, a friend named Jim Kling arrived with a jar of green powder called BarleyLife.
Dennis didn’t take it seriously.
He joked that whenever his truck passed a McDonald’s, the steering wheel seemed to turn by itself.
Still skeptical, he gave the product to his father, who suffered from severe spinal arthritis.
Within weeks, the change was obvious.
Dennis tried again — this time giving BarleyLife to the family dog, which struggled with rheumatism.
The dog recovered.
That ended the debate.
Within six months, Dennis and Kay sold their interest in the farm and entered the nutrition business.
They were joined by Jim and Carolyn Kling, along with CPA Don Miller.
What began as doubt turned into conviction.
Dennis Itami and Ron Wright
In 1982, Ron Wright retired from real estate after a heart condition forced him to stop working.
Jim Kling introduced Ron to BarleyLife.
Ron tried it himself.
Within a month, the chest pain that had limited his life disappeared.
Years later, Ron became co-owner of The AIM Companies™.
When the company faced financial trouble, Ron stepped in.
He invested heavily, risking much of his personal wealth.
The company survived.
Then it grew.
Ron believed BarleyLife represented a different future — nutrition designed for real life, not laboratory shelves.
Decades later, he still believes the company’s best days lie ahead.