2017 BMO Farm Family Program

2017 BMO FARM FAMILY AWARDS Monday, July 10, 2017

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Palomino Room

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BMO Centre

CHAIRMAN’S GREETING

On behalf of the Calgary Stampede, welcome to the 2017 BMO Farm Family Awards.

Congratulations to all of the families being recognized this year. As a fifth generation rancher, I know how hard you work and how important your family’s dedication to agriculture is to our communities of southern Alberta.

We are proud of Stampede’s 105 year relationship with agriculture. Stampede continues to celebrate agriculture through the commitment to bring rural and urban communities together. We make it a commitment to introduce the rural population to the urban population, and that’s never more crucial than it is today as the urban population becomes further and further removed from the agricultural roots that, at one time, just about everybody came from. Understanding where our food comes from, how it is produced and the generations of people whose families dedicate their lives to agriculture are the reasons the BMO Farm Family Awards are especially important to me and to our organization.

To our award recipients - you were specifically chosen for this recognition because of your role in the community, your dedication to agriculture and for how you demonstrate the value of western heritage. The landscape is constantly evolving and agriculture has changed a lot, so I commend each and every family for your commitment. As the world’s population continues to grow, the importance of agriculture is increasingly vital. You are the heart and soul that will drive us forward.

I would also like to acknowledge our sponsor, BMO Bank of Montreal, who is celebrating their 200th anniversary this year and who has been a part of the Stampede since the beginning for making these important awards possible. Thank you.

I wish everyone a wonderful 2017 Stampede!

David Sibbald President & Chairman of the Board Calgary Stampede

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GREETINGS FROM BMO

As BMO Bank of Montreal celebrates our 200th anniversary this year, we are once again honoured to celebrate more than twenty years of support for the Calgary Stampede’s Farm Family Awards. We’re proud to be the official bank of the Calgary Stampede, and of our long history together. With 105 years behind us, our partnership endures as one of Canada’s longest.

Over the years, BMO and the Stampede have seen many incredible changes in the practice and business of agriculture. Today, we see a strong relationship between rural and urban citizens that enhances farmers’ contributions to our economy and our beloved way of life in Alberta.

Farmers do a lot more than put food on our tables – and we’re thankful they do!

Farmers also invest in new technology that respects our environment. They build incredible business acumen to manage their enterprises efficiently and effectively.

Farmers also build the fabric of our communities by collaborating to accomplish hard work. We salute our farm families for their innovative pioneering spirits and wise stewardship of our resources.

Today we share our gratitude for the farm families of southern Alberta as just one way BMO is working to support farmers and the agricultural community here in Alberta. BMO would like to thank the Agricultural Events Committee for bringing us another inspiring year of the Farm Family Awards, and for selecting the deserving recipient families for 2017.

Congratulations to all the nominees and recipients, and here’s to another great year of farming in Alberta.

Sincerely,

Susan Brown Senior Vice President, Alberta & NWT Division BMO Bank of Montreal

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2017 BMO FARM FAMILY AWARD WINNERS

Pringle Family

Dau Family

Heck Family Gallelli Family

Schonhofer Family

Kulyk Family

Kaiser Family Henrickson Family

McLean Family Webster Family

Bolduc Family Turnbull Family

Tharle Family

Michaelis Family Thomson Family

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Gill Family Reynolds Family Dykstra Family

Snow Family

CONGRATULATIONS 2017 BMO Farm Families

Bolduc Family, MD of Willow Creek....................................Page 5 Dau Family, Kneehill County.............................................Page 6 Dykstra Family, County of Forty Mile.................................. Page 7 Gallelli Family, Rocky View County ....................................Page 8 Gill Family, Cypress County...............................................Page 9 Heck Family, Starland County.......................................... Page 10 Henrickson Family, County of Newell................................ Page 11 Kaiser Family, Wheatland County .................................... Page 12 Kulyk Family, Special Areas #3 ......................................... Page 13 McLean Family, MD of Foothills........................................ Page 14 Michaelis Family, Lethbridge County................................ Page 15 Pringle Family, Mountain View County............................. Page 16 Reynolds Family, MD of Taber...........................................Page 17 Schonhofer Family, Special Areas #2................................. Page 18 Snow Family, County of Warner........................................ Page 19 Tharle Family, Vulcan County..........................................Page 20 Thomson Family, Cardston County................................... Page 21 Turnbull Family, MD of Pincher Creek.............................. Page 22 Webster Family, MD of Ranchland.................................... Page 23

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Representing MD of Willow Creek No. 26

BOLDUC FAMILY Stavely, Alberta

Bucking more than 70 years of family tradition paid off for David and Dyce Bolduc.

In 1967, the teenaged brothers bought Cudlobe Farms’ first Angus over the purebred shorthorn cattle the Bolduc and Swift families had been raising since the 1890s. Cudlobe Farms began

Then there was the time they met the Queen Mother in 1985.

They’d sold her a bull a few years before, and spent 20 minutes with her at the World Angus Forum in Edmonton. “She was very knowledgeable about her cattle, and felt for them, too,” Dyce says.

when Alice (nee Swift) and

Today, Cudlobe Farms runs 500

Floyd Bolduc moved their

purebred black Angus mother

family from the Travers area

cows. The brothers have their

to the Municipal District of

own herds, but share some bulls.

Willow Creek in 1952.

The 2,500-acre grain operation is a joint venture. David, his son,

“Dad was going to a little

Mat, and Mat’s wife, Adeleen, are

farm sale at Nanton that had

all involved in the business, as

some purebred Angus. I was

is Dyce, his wife, Adrianna, and

16 at the time and thought this

their children Stephen, Kevin and

is something I could make my

Kaitlynn. David’s wife, Margaret,

own decisions on. So, I bought

passed away in 2014. “The wives

three cows that day: $400 for one, and then $290 and $270,” Dyce recalls. “And in the early ’70s I had the opportunity to work for a major Angus operation. I think that is really what instilled it for us.”

David was sold on the breed, too, but perhaps for different reasons. “As kids, we were going to shows all over western Canada. Angus cattle are intelligent, easy to maintain and very functional. I can still remember those Charolais kids coming in.

Those devils were in the wash stall every morning and we would blow by, hit the cattle with a garden hose and be good to go.”

The BMO Farm Family for the Municipal District of Willow Creek has come a long way since then. Their collective highlight reel is a lengthy one, but high points include showing an undefeated yearling heifer; winning classes and showing second to the Grand Champion at the Canadian Western Agribition; their history at the Calgary Bull Sale; and both serving terms as president of the Canadian Angus Association.

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worked on and off the farm, that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to grow the herd and the land base from 500 acres to 1,200. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without Adrianna and Margaret,” Dyce says.

The Bolducs sponsor many local events, including the Stavely Indoor Pro Rodeo, the Chad Besplug Invitational Bull Riding, the Stavely Elks Pheasant Derby and the Chinook Junior Stock Show.

They’ve been involved with local minor hockey as well. They’ve also been well represented in 4-H, with Dyce (25+years) and David (10+ years) serving as leaders.

It’s said working with family can be challenging, but the brothers have a lifetime of practice. “I think it’s a mindset. A person has to be tolerant and respectful. And you have to grasp the fact that a lot of the time, the whole is more important than the individual,” David says. “If everyone in the boat is rowing the same way, you’ll achieve a lot more than if you were on your own.”

Representing Kneehill County

DAU FAMILY Three Hills, Alberta

As the fourth generation of his family to farm in Kneehill

Margaret Meston and then farmed with two of his sons, Bob

County, Dallas Dau has a deep connection to the land around

and Bill, forming Dau Farms Ltd. When Bob died in the mid-

Three Hills. He knows the true meaning of words like legacy,

’80s, Bill and Pat took over the operation. Dallas and Lisa came

stewardship and heritage.

aboard in the early 2000s. Dallas was fortunate enough to

He’s also a realist when it comes to ensuring the survival of those terms when it comes to Dau Farms Ltd. “The lifestyle aspect is a big part of the family farm, but at the end of the day, it’s a business. And we have to make sure it runs like one,” Dallas says.. “It’s

work alongside his grandfather, who came to the untouched land as a child and lived to see a fifth generation on the farm.

“The neatest thing with him was that he went from breaking the land to seeing it farmed with all the modern machinery.

He could never get over how much could be done with the new technology and how it affected

s a really important part of the

production,” explains Dallas.

proper stewardship of what we have here.”

Today, Dau Farms Ltd. seeds 5,100 acres with canola, barley,

Keeping abreast of

wheat, peas and flax, with

developments on the agricultural

another 600 acres in custom

landscape is key for the Daus,

farming and about 1,700 acres in

recipients of the 2017 BMO Farm

pasture for the 300-head cow-

Family of the Year for Kneehill

calf operation. The farm has

County. Dallas credits courses

used minimal tillage since 2003,

such as the Canadian Total Excellence in Agricultural Management (CTEAM) Program as a way to protect the family legacy. The program teaches business management, from succession planning to key performance indicator measurement and risk mitigation.

Dallas and his wife, Lisa oversee Dau Farms Ltd. with the help of his parents, Bill and Pat Dau, who managed the operation before them. Children Anna, 12, and Luke, eight, are getting to the age where they can safely help with ageappropriate tasks. Pat is chief financial officer (“Like every good farm mom,” Dallas points out) and primary combined operator, while Bill is quite involved in the operation, mainly running the equipment.

The family history in the area began when George and Bertha Dau moved to Three Hills from Idaho in 1914, accompanied by their sons Don and Ray. Ray married

GPS and auto-steer since 2005, and variable rate fertilizer since 2007. Swath grazing of cattle was implemented in 2004 and they’ve recently added swath grazing corn. The farm is two miles down the road from the homestead, which is run by Dallas’s cousins.

The Daus are proud to take their place in the community through their involvement with Three Hills/Ghost Pine 4-H Club (Anna has a lamb this year, while Luke gets a backup animal), Three Hills Cruise Nite, the Christmas Food Hamper Program and various community events in the Ghost Pine area of Kneehill County.

“We are temporary stewards of it all. We need to leave it in better shape for the next generation who come along,” Dallas says of the land and the community in which he and his family live.

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Representing County of Forty Mile No. 8

DYKSTRA FAMILY Burdett, Alberta

As beet farmers, the Dykstra family enjoys the sweet things in life. And one of the things they savour most is the community they call home.

The 2017 BMO Farm Family for the County of Forty Mile has been contributing at the Burdett Centennial Hall for decades, pitching in with everything from cooking to serving to stacking chairs during cleanup. Andy and Bev Dykstra and their family are always ready to lend a hand at the hall, which serves as a gathering place for residents in the area.

“The entire community helps, off and on. Bev’s parents served and cooked there. The kids come along and they help, too.

We did it as kids in my family too.

We got married there and the kids got married there. It was erected in 1967 as a centennial project and it’s served the community really well,” says Andy.

The Dykstra’s farm is just outside of Burdett, about 70 kilometres west of Medicine Hat. Bev’s family bought the present farm in ’67. Two years after she and Andy wed in 1979, they bought the operation from Bev’s parents. The three Dykstra children (Angela, Nick and Danielle) grew up on the farm. While the girls and their families return home to help during harvest, Nick moved back permanently in 2007 to work with Andy. He lives nearby with his wife and three children and will eventually take over the operation. The Dykstras have been careful to nurture the next generation’s love of the land and the responsibility that comes with being its steward.

“You treat them better than if they were hired on. As a result, they have an interest in it and spiritual interest almost.

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They take ownership of it,” Andy says. “I think that is what the family farm is all about: the continuity. I took it over from Bev’s dad. My dad and his dad were farmers, too. But it is a business and you have to cultivate that as well. You make sacrifices —mostly financial — with it being family, but it’s a good way of living.”

The Dykstras operate A. and B. Acres Ltd., planting 480 acres with a four-year rotation of sugar beets, hard red spring wheat and beans. Their conservation practices — the last quarter was converted to pivot irrigation with low-pressure sprinkler nozzles in 2005 — tie into Andy’s take on the ever-developing technology in the farming sector.

“I keep saying I am not an innovator, I am an adapter. I wait until the price of the technology comes down to my level, then I adapt it for my operation. Some of this really fancy, expensive stuff is just out of reach for the average farmer,” he adds.

He’s served as secretary/treasurer with the Burdett Sugar Beet Growers, a group he’s been involved with for 31 years.

And he was an elected director on the Taber Christian School Board for two years.

Andy and Bev have both served with their church, the Bow Island Evangelical Free Church, he as an elder and recording secretary, she as a member of the deaconess board.

“It really is a wonderful community to be a part of,” shares Andy.

Representing Rocky View County

GALLELLI FAMILY Crossfield, Alberta

The Gallelli family history features stone, in addition to deep-seated roots that run through the soil of the County of Rocky View and Calgary.

Russell in charge of the breeding, showing and marketing of his purebred Charolais. He’s also a precision agriculture specialist for Cervus Equipment, John Deere .

Darcey Gallelli’s grandfather Joseph Gallelli homesteaded in the Crossfield district in 1905. A farmer and stonemason, his workmanship can be seen in the Crossfield Hotel, in brick buildings in the town and on the Collicutt ranch. Darcey’s wife Leisa also has impressive ties to southern Alberta history. Her great-great-grandfather was George Murdoch, who moved to Calgary from New Brunswick in 1883. A year later, when Calgary became a town, George was elected its first mayor. Her other great-great-grandparents came to Calgary in 1883, purchasing the land now known as Olympic Hill to raise their cattle and Clydesdales on.

Daughter Kelly is a certified animal health technician and her husband Braden is a B pressure journeyman welder. They have horses and cattle on their operation near Pine Lake. Son Raymond got his Class 1 license so he could haul grain. And he has his own herd of cattle, even though he’s graduating this year with his Bachelor of Management degree. He’ll continue his education at law school this fall. It’s a pretty accomplished group.

These days, the Gallellis, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for the County of Rocky View, run a grain, hay and cattle farm on what was once the home quarter of Leisa’s grandfather.

“Our three children are the fifth generation on the family farm. It’s something we take great pride in,” Leisa says. “Sustainability for agriculture and for the family farm are important goals for us. We’re implementing succession strategies and are honoured that our children are incorporating the family farm into future goals.”

It truly is a family farm, with everyone taking on distinct roles. Darcey, a licensed heavy-duty mechanic, operates and maintains most of the equipment, and looks after the grain marketing and equipment purchases. As Leisa has a Bachelor of Science in agronomy, she takes care of the crop scouting and pesticides. She also does the books. She and son Russell manage the day-to-day work of the cow-calf operation, with

“I think they take it all in stride,” Leisa says of her children. “Doing one thing wouldn’t occur to them.

They just think they should know everything about everything.”

The Gallelli children have each received the Platinum Award of Excellence for 4-H Achievement. The family’s been involved with 4-H on an ongoing basis, with Darcey and Leisa serving as club leaders and assistant leaders. Raymond and Russell volunteer with the Aidrie Pro Rodeo, and the Gallellis have hosted farm tours from around the world. For the past seven years, tThey’ve also taken part in Summer Synergy, put on by the the Calgary Stampede’s and the Olds Regional Exhibition.’s Summer Synergy for the past seven years.

Leisa has kept up her involvement with 4-H, even though her children are grown. Leisa is Calgary’s Regional 4-H representative for the 4-H Provincial Beef Advisory Board and represents the 4-H youth on the University of Calgary’s Veterinary Medicine Advisory Council.

“Our children were involved for more than 10 years. I still want to give back. I have some experience to share before they turn me out to pasture. It’s great to help out with some of the things I have learned along the way.”

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Representing Cypress County

GILL FAMILY Medicine Hat, Alberta

Being a farm family doesn’t always mean only working on the

The Gills believe those challenges, as well as working together

land. For the Gill family, it has also included full-time jobs in

on the farm as a team, have made their family much stronger.

the city. For many years, Laverne and Launa Gill tended to their

“My kids are the best kids in the world,” Laverne says. Their

240 acres of dryland outside Medicine Hat every single “spare”

oldest, Brandt, lives and works on the farm. Garrett is employed

minute they could find with the help of their children: Brandt,

off the farm, so contributes after hours and on the weekends.

Kristin and Garrett.

Kristin no longer lives full-time at home, but can always be

But the Gills’ tireless

counted on to return for the times when an extra pair of hands is crucial.

investment in the dream to have an operation of their own paid off. Today, the

contributors is also

family farm is 4,700 acres

important to the family.

of owned and rented land

The Gills are members of

where they grow wheat,

the South East Alberta Rural

durum, canola, oriental

Crime Watch Association.

mustard, peas, lentils and

Laverne belongs to the

barley. The BMO Farm

Knights of Columbus and is

Family for Cypress County

a former 4-H leader. They

moved to the site in 2003

also have raised funds for

after outgrowing those

their children’s schools and

original 240 acres they

sports groups over the years.

purchased in 1987.

“Honestly, we like working for ourselves. I have seen

“Being involved in the community is very important to us.

It takes community to raise a family. We’ve been fortunate to

firsthand with different employees that it doesn’t matter how

have good neighbours and good people all around our family,”

hard you worked, you all got treated the same,” says Laverne,

Laverne says.

who worked in IT until 2008. “With working on the farm, if you work harder, hopefully you will get further ahead. That was our philosophy: we worked hard and at the end of the day, we wanted to work for ourselves.”

Launa, who worked for the municipal government, says Laverne’s retirement from office work in 2008 was difficult, but the final step in what the family had been working toward for so long. “It is very different when you have a guaranteed paycheque coming in to going to not knowing what your year is going to be like,” Launa says. “You are relying on the weather, relying on the market, and that can be pretty challenging.”

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Being strong community

And their community extends to the city. The Gills host friends from town at the farm, taking them out in the fields, explaining how they’ve implemented conservations efforts such as four-year continuous crop rotation, no-till direct seeding and the installation of solar panels. It’s part of their efforts to share their way of life and the importance of agriculture.

“I find there is a real disconnect with city people. They all have a connection to the farm, but it is getting further and further removed,” Launa says. “I feel almost an obligation to show them what it’s like these days.”

Representing Starland County

HECK FAMILY Delia, Alberta

On many family farms, succession looms large. Land that’s been in the family for generations is sold or rented out because there is no one to take over the reins.

Leonard, until 2010, when Brian took over the entire operation.

“Dad has been a very big help. If it wasn’t for my father being involved with this, we wouldn’t have what we have,” he says.

But for Brian and Kim Heck, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for

And while there’s a connection to the good old days of farming,

Starland County, the future in that area is brighter than it was

Brian is more than happy to utilize the latest developments in

a few years back. Their son Kyle, 21, and daughter Breanna, 19,

agriculture and technology if they help get the job done.

each have an interest

“We’ve farmed the

in the family traditions

same amount of acres

of farming and raising

without it and the

cattle.

same amount of acres

“I think we have

with it. It is way easier

an up-and-coming

with the technology.

farmer on our hands

It seems to create a

with Kyle. Initially,

lot less stress in my

there wasn’t a lot of

life. The technology

interest there,” Kim

has literally eased my

says. “But he went to

mind,” Brian says.

Lethbridge College

Although

for the wind turbine course and came home right at seeding. He helped with that, then the harvest. All of a sudden, he’s showing a real interest in it.”

And while you might be able to take the girl off the farm — Breanna is studying to be a paramedic at NAIT — you can’t take the farm out of the girl: this spring she bought some heifers of her own to calve. The Heck kids were raised on the family’s 5,000-acre farm. Forty-one-hundred acres are seeded with wheat, canola, barley and peas. Another 200 acres are dedicated to hay, with the remainder pasture for 60 cow-calf pairs.

Brian’s great-grandfather homesteaded by Sunnynook (93

advancements now include a driverless tractor, Brian thinks there will always be a place for the family on the family farm, especially in large grain operations. “You’re going to need someone out there to manage the piece of equipment. Heck, I’m in the tractor and I can get it stuck, no problem.”

The family has been involved with the Delia 4-H Beef Club over the years, with both Brian and Kim, a substitute teacher, serving as leaders. Brian, a longtime member of Delia’s volunteer fire department, is its deputy chief, and sits on the village’s seed plant board. He’s also on the Ag Services Board for Starland County. And Kim is on the Kidsport Delia committee,

kilometres north of Brooks) in the 1910s. His father lived there

which ensures financial considerations don’t keep local

until 1969 when the family moved to their present location

children from participating in organized sports.

outside of Delia, 45 km northeast of Drumheller. In 1990, Brian bought his own operation and worked it alongside his father,

“Taking part in things in the community ensures we have a community,” Kim says.

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Representing County of Newell No.4

HENRICKSON FAMILY Patricia, Alberta

The Henrickson family shares a love of learning, whether it’s

“It’s about right for us. I wouldn’t want too much bigger,” Will

in the lecture halls of a university or out in the fields of the family

says. “We are fairly low-maintenance, with trouble-free heifers.

farm outside of Patricia, Alberta.

We keep them on 50 acres near home so we can check on them.

Will and Shauna Henrickson’s daughters, Ashley and Amy, are at university, while their son, Ty, has graduated from

We might pull one or two calves year, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was 15 years ago or so. It seemed like you pulled 30 a year.”

the Agriculture program at

The family is deeply involved in

the Lethbridge Community

their community. All are members

College and is implementing

and volunteers with the Division

what he learned on the family’s

Three Agricultural Society, Patricia

mixed operation. This year, the

Community Hall, Patricia Rodeo

Henricksons will be combining

Club and the Patricia Community

their first crop of alfalfa seed. And

Cemetery. The three youngest were

they’re buying leaf-cutter bees,

involved in the John Ware Beef 4-H

so they’re building bee huts and

Club, with the family growing 25

studying up on what it takes to

steers for club sales. Ashley and

overwinter the insects.

Amy volunteer at university and both worked for the Organization of

“You have to adapt and keep up,

Residence Students. Will is a longtime

or you’ll be left behind in no time,”

volunteer with the Patricia Fire

Will says. “That is a good part of

Department, which Ty just joined. Will

where Ty fits in. He understands the GPS and the auto-steer and the other things. We are trying to grow different crops and make more of less land.”

The family farming legacy began in Denmark. Henry Henrickson emigrated to Iowa, then Nebraska before striking out for Alberta . with his family in 1919. Today, his great-grandson Will works the mixed operation with Shauna, Ty and his father, Doug. Doug had farmed with two of his brothers through 2003, when they split up the company. Will and Shauna now own Henrickson Ranching Ltd. The 2017 BMO Farm Family for the County of Newell works a combination of owned, rented and

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also belongs to the Grasslands Soccer Association and the Patricia Land Holders Association. Shauna was treasurer with the Ag Society for more than 10 years, and volunteered at Duchess School throughout the kids’ school years.

“It’s a very tight-knit community. It’s all established ranchers; we aren’t the only ones who have been here for 100 years or so.

There aren’t many land trades and no one comes or goes much.

It’s working with the same families that you have been for 60, 70 years.”

Toiling alongside Ty, the fifth generation of Henricksons to

leased land, growing a rotation of wheat, peas, flax, hybrid canola

work the land, brings the family’s efforts into focus, Will adds.

seed, alfalfa seed and greenfeed on 750 acres of irrigated land.

“The hundred years, which we’ll reach in 2019, that gives you a

There are 550 acres more of irrigated land, in addition to 3,000

reason to keep going. It would be hard to get up and do it every

acres of dry grass for their 330-head cow-calf operation.

day if it wasn’t for someone else to carry it on.”

Representing Wheatland County

KAISER FAMILY Hussar, Alberta

When you find something great, you want to share it.

Randy and Wendy Kaiser call the Duck Lake area near the village of Hussar home and they’re dedicated to keeping their community going.

Wendy says. One year, they drove from Houston to Jackson, Miss. to show their bull Smoky Joe at the U.S. National Charolais Show. “It was so much fun to see the different countryside, to see the Brahmas in the fields. The event was a lot of fun. We placed second to that bull that went with us to all the shows.”

“This is a wonderful

Community involvement

community.

is a constant for the Kaisers.

We are trying to get the young

Randy’s chaired many

kids to move back here. We have

boards, including the Alberta

a brand-new arena and

Charolais Association and the

a brand-new hall,” Wendy says

Alberta Cattle Breeders. He

of Hussar, located about

currently chairs the Hussar

90 kilometres east of Calgary.

Fire Association. He’s also a

“It’s a vibrant community. A

past board member of the

lot of the next generation of farmers are coming back. We want to keep it alive, so we’ve got lots of sports like baseball and curling, and fine arts as well.”

Alberta Cattle Commission, VIDO Beef Tech, Waters of Wheatland and the Hussar Ag Society, among others. Wendy has shared her bookkeeping talents as a

The Kaisers first came to the area in the 1940s when George

board member with the Hussar Curling Club, Hussar Skating

Kaiser bought the land the family lives on today. His son Herb

Club, Home and School Association and Hussar Crisis Society,

served in the Army Reserve and joined the RCMP after the war.

to name a few. She’s currently casino co-ordinator for the Ag

He returned to the farm in 1948, where he and his wife, Mary,

Society and Curling Clubs, secretary of the Hussar Hall Board

raised their five children. Their son Randy met Wendy in high

and a director with Rosebud Gas Co-Op. They’ve both coached

school, and the couple bought additional land in 1979. That’s

local sports teams as well.

where they raised their three children — Cole, Lacy and Brady.

When Herb passed away in 2003, the couple moved to the original family farm.

The 2017 BMO Farm Family for Wheatland County now runs

Randy and Wendy are past 4-H leaders, and the three younger Kaisers have served as public speaking judges and put on clinics.

Also, Cole is coaching hockey, serving as President of the Lions Club and volunteering in Hussar. He’s bought a house in the

a 2,200-acre mixed farm on two parcels, and they rent two

village, but commutes to Calgary for work. Lacy is co-owner of a

pastures for their purebred Charolais herd. This year, they’re

barbershop in Calgary and Brady is studying to be an electrician.

calving 160 cows bred to their bulls. The Kaisers currently raise

All three help during crunch time on the farm, and the hope

bulls for their own use, but from the 1980s through the late ’90s,

is that they will continue the family traditions of farming and

they also showed and sold them everywhere from the Calgary

community service. “I always say, ‘A bored person is a lazy

Stampede to the Regina Agribition.

person, and vice-versa,’” Wendy says. “Around here, it’s always go, go, go.”

“We just loved the people, the showing, the competing,”

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Representing Special Area 5 No. 3

KULYK FAMILY Buffalo, Alberta

Joe Kulyk staked his claim as an Albertan by breaking 20 acres of land outside Buffalo in 1917. He was 10.

generation like my dad, it really meant something for the sons to take over. If they hadn’t wanted to take over, we’d be gone.”

The Kulyks came to Canada from western Ukraine in 1906.

They first settled in Manitoba, then moved to Alberta in 1916.

Joe would go on to become a founding member of the Alberta Wheat Pool and help build the Buffalo Bridge over the Red Deer River in the ’30s. Joe’s formal education may have ended in Grade 4, but he taught his only child, Russel, everything there was to know about working the land.

The 2017 BMO Farm Family for Special Area #3 run a mixed operation. The Kulyk Family Farm seeds 8,000 acres on owned and leased land and runs 300 head of red Angus-cross cows on 8,000 acres of leased land. They grow cereals, pulses, oilseeds and forage mixtures, prioritizing soil conservation. In the early years, Russel cultivated with Noble Blades and Victory Blades to leave more soil cover and “trash” on top to control erosion. Now, they use minimum/zero-till techniques partnered with crop rotation.

“He passed away in ’93. I’m sorry I didn’t listen more to what he said about that time,” Russel says.

“We did talk some about the hardships, of course. He said he left Manitoba in the wintertime. He homesteaded around here, but he bought where we are now in ’46 and moved out of the home place.”

Russel, who was born to Joe and Annie (nee Muzyka) in 1949, has passed his knowledge along to his sons, who grew up on the family farm and moved away. Now, three of them — Darcy, Dustin and Keldon — have returned to work alongside their father. The oldest, Brad, comes home with his family to lend a hand during peak times.

“The boys have been gone almost 10 years. We didn’t keep them home and it’s their own choice that they came back.

They don’t want to listen to the old man sometimes, but other than that, they seem to be enjoying themselves. And they’re showing the initiative to try things,” Russel says. “For the older

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Carla, who married Russel in 1979, grew up in Cereal, but easily adapted to farm life.

“I am that kind of person. You just jump in and do it,” Carla says.

The couple belongs to the Buffalo Ag Society, as do Darcy and Keldon. Russel and Darcy belong to the Buffalo Fire Club as well. Russel, a former member of the Alberta Wheat Pool and former rep on the Ag Service Board, is involved in UFA, South Country Co-op and Chinook Applied Research Association. He’s a former member of Oyen Minor Hockey, an organization that Darcy currently belongs to. Carla predicts they’ll be increasing their time at the local hockey rink now that one of their grandsons is playing hockey.

“The last number of years, we’ve been trying to back off on working the farm. The boys have been home, so we are doing less, which is good. I’ve always run a combine, that’s been my job. Last year, I did cooking and babysitting during harvest, which sometimes I think is harder than running the combine!”

Representing MD of Foothills No. 31

MCLEAN FAMILY High River, Alberta

The history of the McLean family in southern Alberta could

— on the ranch, with the boys contributing to the operation

fill a book. And it would be one heck of a page-turner, filled

through the 2000s. Roy entered a partnership to farm with

with tales of roping and riding, triumphs and tragedies,

his brother Don in the early 1980s. But Roy also worked off the

storms and sunsets.

ranch, serving as a councillor with the MD of Foothills for 20

But at its heart, it would

years, and as reeve for a decade.

be a story of a family

After Roy had a bad fall

dedicated to the land and

from a horse in 2005, the

the western ideals they’ve

family decided to rent out the

embraced over a lifetime.

operation. “We’ve enjoyed it all, but there’ve been

“Once you get into

challenges with the economy

something like this, it is

and the weather and BSE.

your world. It’s what you

But we are still here and

look at and experience

the land is intact,” Lenore

every day,” says Roy McLean.

says. Lenore, who’s been

“Sometimes, you think maybe you should get out of it, but then you think: it’s a pretty good life and maybe it will get better. There’s a lot of hard that goes in it, but like a lot of things, you get back out what you put in.”

Roy and Lenore McLean operate Stimson Creek Ranches south of Longview. It’s a large mixed-farming proposition, but don’t expect any hard numbers in terms of land size. “Roy doesn’t like saying. He says it’s like telling someone how much money you have in the bank,” Lenore says with a laugh. The 2017 BMO Farm Family for the Municipal District of Foothills will share, though, that the ranch currently hosts a 450 cowcalf operation and 25 horses.

Roy’s great-uncle Dean Pritchard bought land, including the present home quarter, in 1941. Dean’s nephew and family came out from Ontario to help work it. Roy was four, and has never left. Lenore grew up on her family ranch west of Longview. They wed three years after meeting as teenagers.

Seven years after, Roy took over the ranch after his father passed. The McLeans raised their sons — Mike, Tim and Joe

riding since she was two, still saddles up every day. She grew up next door to Flores LaDue and her husband, Calgary Stampede founder Guy Weadick.

She reserves using the World Champion Lady Fancy Rope saddle Flores gave her for pleasure riding and parades.

The couple were on the board of the Friends of the Bar U Ranch for 22 years, as the National Historic Site is located next door. “I quit a few times and come back,” Roy notes. Lenore received the Canadian Leadership 4-H Award in 1986, while Roy received the provincial equivalent in 1980. Lenore, who appeared in the Alberta Beef “Ranch Her” campaign in 2001, received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

As a couple, they’ve received the Stampede Legacy Award, the Historical Society of Alberta Award and the Legends & Legacy Award.

“We have always been fortunate to have a good community,” Roy says. “This one works pretty well together. It has its ups and down, but when all is said and done, they are there for you.”

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Representing Lethbridge County

MICHAELIS FAMILY Lethbridge, Alberta

Wayne Michaelis has been working on family farms for 45

the road. Diana went back to school when she was 38, becoming

years. And in that time, he’s figured out what he likes about it...

a registered nurse. She worked at Lethbridge Hospital for 25

and what he doesn’t.

years, retiring in 2013.

Wayne’s family had cattle when they farmed in Milk River, but

The 2017 Farm Family for the County of Lethbridge has

now, “the best part of a cow is on my plate,” he says. So, don’t

been involved in community events in the surrounding area,

expect to see any cattle on Double Diamond Farms Ltd. Instead,

from minor hockey and curling in Coledale to the Harvest

you’ll see a variety of pulse, cereal and oilseed crops on

Howler in Lethbridge and fundraising for the Readymeade

3,000 acres.

Community Centre. They’ve also provided major sponsorship for the agriculture program at

“When I started out,

Lethbridge College.

I didn’t want to be a millionaire. It’s just doing

When the children were

what I like and that’s

young, the couple debated

farming. We’ve been

between taking the family to

fortunate in that we’ve

Disneyland or putting in a pool.

got by and done alright,”

The latter won, resulting in

Wayne says. “As far as

countless hours of fun over the

the worst part, it’s the

years. The family held “Dive-In

stress sometimes. You can

Movies,” projecting a film onto

have the best plans and

the side of the house that the

do everything right, but

kids would watch while floating

Mother Nature is still the

in the pool. “It was really great

big boss and has the stick.”

for kids in the community and our kids to have it here. You

Wayne’s dad and uncle

can’t run them into town all the

farmed in the Milk River

time. Now, our grandkids are

area and Wayne helped

using it,” Diana says.

as a youngster and young adult. That land was sold and a new operation was launched in Lethbridge and Warner Counties.

Wayne’s wife, Diana, grew up on a farm in the Irvine area. After

woodworking and restoring his 1949 Ford. Travel likely won’t

the couple wed in 1967, Wayne went to work for a local farmer

be at the top of the to-do list, although the family has logged

and the couple lived in a two-room bunkhouse. There was a

miles in the past: son-in-law Stacy Roest played in the NHL for

stint in a lumber yard, but when his uncle retired, Wayne joined

five seasons and nine seasons in Switzerland. The Michaelises

with his father in the family business of farming.

visited four times, once with 14 family members in tow. The

Wayne and Diana raised their children — daughters Tami, Billie and Roxanne and son Jeff — in the house they built. In 2003, Jeff, who has a degree in soil science, returned to work the farm alongside Wayne. He and his family live two miles down

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With Jeff taking over, Wayne plans on doing more

family has also spent time down south, but Wayne doesn’t think they’ll repeat that trip. “I couldn’t stand the winter down there.

It drove me nuts. I’ve still got the farm, and I’m always thinking about it.”

Representing Mountain View County

PRINGLE FAMILY Didsbury, Alberta

The life of a dairy farmer is a tough haul. They’re tied to the farm day in, day out, with everything revolving around the production cycle of their herd. That was Bert Pringle’s life growing up on a dairy farm outside Didsbury. It became wife Pat’s life, too, after the couple married in 1980, and cared for 50 cows on the family farm Bert that took over in 1975.

That all changed on one fateful day in 1998.

“We decided it was going to happen a couple of times, but then I came home one day and Bert says, ‘That’s enough of the girls. It’s time to do something else,’ ” Pat recalls. Bert remembers that day, too. He was trying to get through a stubborn repair in the milking shed and hit the breaking point.

“It became too much. We wanted a life. We enjoy travelling and doing things, so we felt it was time for a change,” Bert says. “And the neighbour’s land was for sale. It’s like the old timers say: Whenever land comes up across the road, you should snag it.”

They did just that. They sold their dairy herd and bought 50 head of commercial cow-calf pairs. Today, that herd numbers 200. The couple continue to grow cereal crops, hay and silage on the Rafter TX Livestock Farm. The 2017 BMO Farm Family for Mountain View County pride themselves on keeping abreast of the latest in agricultural and livestock developments. Sometimes, they end up ahead of the curve.

They became students of Ranching for Profit, a system that emphasizes “the business working for you, not you working in the business,” Pat says. They brought in swath grazing, and rotational pasture grazing with solar electric fences and

watering systems. At the time, the measures some raised eyebrows. But when the practices paid off for the Pringles, those same skeptics came calling. The couple also brought in low-stress cattle handling after attending a workshop led by the renowned Temple Grandin and Curt Pate.

“If you don’t change, you don’t keep up. We’re open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. You can’t stay stagnant.

The world just doesn’t allow that anymore,” Pat says.

That decision to end one way of life and begin another was the right one, Bert says. It’s still hard work, of course, but labour they can enjoy mostly at their own pace.

“It’s fun for me and Pat: seeing the newborn calves, watching the crops grow, walking through silage up to your shoulders,” Bert says. “I think it’s just being in tune with Mother Nature. Sometimes you’d like a talk with her, but that’s just the way it goes.”

The list of the Pringles community involvement runs for pages. For decades, they’ve taken part in everything from Bert’s instrumental role in getting Didsbury a new curling rink to Pat’s position as Alberta 4-H Foundation director to the pair serving as board members on the Lone Pine and the Didsbury Agricultural Societies. They’re both members of the 4-H Hall of Fame and have received Alberta centennial medals in recognition of their outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta. But the Pringles remain humble about their illustrious achievements and tireless community work.

“It’s just being with people and enjoying it. We’re part of the rural community,” Pat says simply. “You volunteer and give you time and everyone in the community is your family.”

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Representing MD of Taber

REYNOLDS FAMILY Enchant, Alberta

Murray Reynolds’ life in rural Alberta, filled with family and friends and working on his farm, almost didn’t happen.

His grandmother was booked on the Titanic, the infamous ship that sank on April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 passengers and crew perished in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, many of them from standard and third class.

“My grandma was supposed to be on the Titanic, but she was so sick, she didn’t come from England on the ship. I might not have been here if she had gotten on,” Murray says.

Instead, the Reynolds family has been farming in the Enchant area since Murray’s grandfather emigrated from North Dakota in 1928. Murray’s father farmed with his father for 46 years. And Murray started farming with his dad in 1980, taking over when his father retired. Today, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for the Municipal District of Taber runs a mixed operation.

They grow wheat, peas, canola, barley and hay. “In January, I bought my first used pivot. It will help out as there will be less pipes to move and a little less work for me,” Murray says.

There’s also a 120-head cow-calf herd of red AngusSimmental mix cattle. Murray and wife Helen are on the farm, while daughter Brianne works as a dental assistant in Lethbridge and daughter Brooke studies at SAIT to be an ultrasound technician. The girls, and Brianne’s fiancé, Eric Meheden, help when they’re home and in prime time, such as calving and when the irrigation main lines go out.

Brianne’s wedding reception at the Enchant hall this July will be a community event. The Reynolds can often be

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found on the other side of the equation, however. “It’s really important to stay involved. That’s what keeps the community going,” Helen says. “If we didn’t have people helping and volunteering, things wouldn’t happen.”

Murray is a dedicated volunteer firefighter, with 30 years of service with Enchant Fire. One of the more memorable calls rattled the windows in their house. “We had an blowout here in 2000 or so. The well blew out north of where we live.

It really lit up the place. We didn’t need lights on in our house and we are two miles away,” Murray says.

Helen has volunteered at club casino nights for years (at one time, the hamlet had 11 clubs eligible for the fundraisers). Murray, a member of the local Lions club for 31 years, has been on numerous boards. He’s active with the Enchant Seed Cleaning Co-op, Circle E Grazing and the Enchant Park Association. The family also took part in 4-H, with each girl winning Grand Champion Steer at the Taber & District 4-H Show in back-to-back years.

The community spirit was in full force for Enchant’s 100th anniversary celebrations. It took a year and a half of planning to pull off the two-day event in 2014. There was a parade, displays, tours, fireworks, beer gardens, a street dance and more. “There was a band playing and it was just everybody pitching in to make it work. It turned out really well,” Murray says. Helen remembers being constantly on the go. “We did get to enjoy it, though,” she says, then adds with a laugh, “There weren’t as many volunteers the morning after the dance for cleaning up.”

Representing Special Areas No.2

SCHONHOFER FAMILY Jenner, Alberta

On a rainy June day in 1969, Simon and Marg Schonhofer drove down muddy roads to the 26,000-acre Majestic Ranch on the south side of the Red Deer River near Buffalo. The couple’s four small children were in the pickup with them. When they arrived, it was the start of a lifelong commitment to the ranch, the land and the community surrounding it.

Nearly half-acentury later, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for Special Areas #2 is still going strong.

Simon and Marg run the ranch with the help of their eldest son. Richard. The next generation is along for the ride, with grandsons Zachary, Josh and Chad working on the operation as well.

“We are going to spend the rest of our lives here. I keep telling everyone we are going to keep ranching until the money is all gone,” Marg says with a laugh. “We love it here. My husband loves the river and the wildlife and the cattle. He was raised around Coronation, so he was used to it. When I came here, I absolutely hated it — I was raised around Priddis, with no cactus, no rattlesnakes — but you couldn’t get me out of here now.”

In 1969, the Schonhofers joined owner Etienne Burrus — or Mr. B as everyone called him — as minority owners of the Majestic, located 275 kilometres east of Calgary. That year, the ranch — homesteaded in 1896 by the Gordon cousins — had 1,200 yearlings and 40 acres of flood irrigation. Simon shifted to a cow-calf operation of Herefords more suited to the landscape. In the ’80s, he added red Angus to the mix, pioneering the red/baldy heifer breeding program. Today, the operation has about 1,600 head, including bulls.

“We’ve got to keep those kids busy,” Marg says. “We were going to take it easy and get rid of some of the cattle, but we changed our mind. We are going to try to keep the ranch going for as long as we can. To do that, we need to have the family involved. It’s very important to us. It’s our legacy.”

And they look after that legacy. Pastures are rotated in the summer, and care is taken to protect against overgrazing.

Irrigation is set up so no water runs back to the river, and the animals’ water sources are dugouts and wells.

The ranch was the first on the Red Deer River to install a centre pivot for irrigation. That was 1971. Today, six centre pivots irrigate 1,500 acres that host grain crops, corn silage and hay, most of which goes to the cattle. “We are a long way from markets here so it makes sense to let the cows do the work and they do it very well,” Marg says.

When Mr. B retired in 1998, the Schonhofers became sole owners of the Majestic. Through it all, the family’s commitment to the community was paramount. They’ve sponsored the Buffalo Rodeo since its inception in 1974 and Simon and Marg are charter members of the Buffalo & District Agricultural Society, formed in 1973. She’s been on the executive ever since. There’s been a lifetime of helping out and pitching in, with everything from the Alberta Beef Producers to launching the Fall Fair 43 years ago. The family doesn’t regret a minute of it.

“I always say ranching is not making a living, it’s a way of life.

And it’s a good one.”

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Representing County of Warner No. 5

SNOW FAMILY Raymond, Alberta

When Dale Snow was a boy growing up on the family farm on the north slope of the Milk River Ridge, all winter he would long for that first smell of freshly turned earth, his personal rite of spring that told him growing season was finally underway.

Dale remembers the day he knew the family tradition of working the land his great-grandfather settled on in 1908 would carry on to the next generation.

“Here is my son Daine, who farms with me now, when he was about six, sitting with me in the pickup in the field in the spring.

The cultivator went past us, and he said, ‘Oh Dad, can you smell that?’ I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I said, ‘Smell what?’ And he said, ‘Oh Dad, can you smell the dirt?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I guess I know what this kid is.’ ” Today, Daine is the youngest of three generations working Snow Land and Livestock, alongside his father and grandfather, Gordon.

The original quartersection homesteaded

by Dale’s great-grandfather Orrin Snow has grown to 40 quarters. The 2017 BMO Farm Family for the Municipal District of Warner grows dryland crops of cereal, barley, wheat and canola, with cereals and forages grown on 1,000 irrigated acres.

Dale favours the cattle side, however, as does Daine. Daine’s brother Burke is a licensed practical nurse and works at the farm when he can. The operation has more than 450 head of black and red Angus-Simmental mix cattle. The Snows also run their own background feedlot. Besides adding between $200 and $500 a head, keeping their cattle close longer generates more data for the operation’s genetic program. “Over the past 30 years when

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we’ve been backgrounding, we have been using different breeds, different bulls. We can see what works and what doesn’t. It gives us a bit more time to see what our program is doing and where it’s headed.” They’re doing something right, as they topped the spring market with this year’s open replacement heifer sale.

And Dale isn’t afraid to think outside the barn when it comes to the family operation. After three long, dry years in the early 2000’s, he purchased 12 quarters in the Athabasca area as pasture. “Our weather is very unpredictable. We’re in part of the Palliser triangle, so it’s a semi-arid environment. Over the years, I’ve hauled hundreds of tons of hay and grain from further north,” he says. Now the hauling goes the other way. In general, the livestock hit the highway at the end of May, with the calves returning in October.

“We’ve taken 200 to 300 head up, but now it’s about 150. It’s been a really good buffer.

There’s been years when it’s been dry down here, and grass galore up there. If it’s dry, I say, ‘I guess some of you cows are going up.’ And we load them on the truck. Seven hours later, we’re there.”

The Snows can rely on family to lend a hand during harvest and calving, with kids, grandkids, cousins, nephews and nieces doing what needs to be done. That work ethic carries into the family’s community involvement. “It’s a small, rural community, so everybody tries to be involved. We have been active in 4-H — two generations of Snows have had Grand and Champion 4-H steers from our herd — and in coaching sports like basketball and football.”

Representing Vulcan County

THARLE FAMILY Vulcan, Alberta

Every day, Glen Tharle follows in the footsteps of his forefathers. Glen and his family live in the “house on the hill,” the home his great-grandfather built after emigrating to the Sunset Valley District from England’s Isle of Wight in 1902. Glen’s grandfather and father were raised in the house, imbuing it with echoes of those who came before.

“The history isn’t something you think of every day. But you step outside and you remember doing this or that with so and so,” Glen says. “It’s something you grew up with and it’s always been there.”

Glen, his wife Marsha and their children — daughters Jordan, Alyssa and Cayley, and son Grady — are Vulcan County’s BMO Farm Family of the Year. Glen’s father, who passed away three years ago, farmed the original homestead with his two brothers until 2000 when they divided the operation to accommodate the next generation. Today, Glen and his family farm approximately 3,800 acres with rented and custom operations included.

They grow wheat, barley, durum, peas, canola, rye and flax.

And they run 100 cattle, too.

“We use minimum till practises. Some years, we’ll take a single pass to seed, or we have done some fall fertilizing. I am still deciding which system I like the best. As with most thing with farming what worked last year didn’t always work this year,” Glen says. “It’s kind of a gamble. One decision in the spring can pay off in dividends or be a bust.”

The extended family pitches in on the operation. Glen’s mother Linda does the books, runs parts as needed and can always be counted on to prepare harvest meals. Glen custom farms his sister and brother-in-law’s land and they’re on hand for harvest as well. While the children are too young to take on substantial work, they all have roles to play. Jordan has been accepted to the University of Alberta for engineering this fall.

It’s a path her father has travelled as well.

“I went to university and thought of being an engineer in the agriculture industry. My calculus skills were nowhere near where they needed to be, though,” Glen says with a laugh. “Once I got back from being away for that six or eight months, it really brought it back that this is where I want to be.

This is a part of me.”

The Tharles are always on the go. The kids belong to the Arrowwood 4-H Beef Club, the Arrowwood River 4-H Wranglers Horse Club and the Foothills 4-H Sheep Club. Glen is a leader in the Beef Club, and a longtime director for the local Fire Association. Marsha is president of the Vulcan Figure Skating Club. She’s also coached junior high basketball and managed many of the high-school sports teams. And they’re passing that commitment to community on to their children.

“Our perspective is that if you kids are getting involved, you have to be involved and help out, too,” Marsha says. “We’re getting the kids to volunteer along with us, even though three of them are teenagers, so it’s not always easy. It comes, though. My oldest is 18 and she volunteers all the time on her own.”

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Representing Cardston County

THOMSON FAMILY Cardston, Alberta

The Thomson family is dedicated to preserving and sharing the stunning landscape of the Milk River Ridge in southeastern Alberta with the world.

About a decade ago, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for Cardston County entered into a conservation easement to keep the ranch in its present state. The agreement protects the native grassland and abundant wildlife on Roger and Lori Thomson’s ranch and ensures the land can’t be subdivided.

“We got to know the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) really well. I run the community pasture two miles down the road and they bought part of it. One time, they had a work day and I was the only one who showed up,” Roger recalls. “We got to talking, and we’d just gone through a bunch of drought. And we didn’t plan on ripping up any more native ground and we didn’t want to subdivide. Their idea of preserving it was the same as ours.”

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there’s the grazing co-op and a further 4,300 acres rented with four other ranchers. Currently, the Thomson’s TR Cattle run two calving seasons for their 300-head cow-calf operation. Cody also has 100 head with them and Roger’s dad, Melvin, has 20.

Raising and selling quarter-horses created an opportunity for the family. Potential purchasers coming from Europe didn’t have a nearby place to stay. Twenty-seven years ago, the Thomsons opened Rangeview Ranch, a working guest ranch.

They’ve built a loyal clientele, with some guests returning yearly from as far away as Europe.

“We have had quite a lot of fun with it. It helped us through the tough years of the BSE and the drought. My folks and my wife started it. Now we run it,” Roger says. “It’s nice to have the people around and the help, although sometimes they aren’t as much help as they want to be. Seeing the ranch through their eyes makes us appreciate the life we live more.”

Roger’s great-great-grandfather moved to southern Alberta in 1899. The Thomsons moved to their present location between Cardston and Magrath in 1973. Lori also comes from generations of ranchers. Roger ranched with his dad, worked part-time on some neighbouring ranches and “did a pile of custom fencing.” But iIt paid off and the couple purchased land from Roger’s dad. They raised their two children, Cody and Melissa, on their ranch. Both kids have gone on to marry locally and live nearby with their children.

A big part of that life is their commitment to their community. Roger served more than 20 years on the horse show committee and is a longtime member of the Scouts. He’s managed a community pasture for more than two decades and is president of a grazing co-op. He’s served as director on both the local Feeder Association and the Cattle Breeder Association.

Lori’s been involved in elections and enumerations for 25 years.

The Thomsons are also active members of their church, as well, and Lori is loves ing her time in the church’s nursery. They’re always ready to lend a hand.

The ranch is two-and-three-quarter sections, and the Thomsons rent three-and-a-half sections from the NCC. Then

“Someone’s got to do it,” Roger laughs. “You have to keep the community going. It’s nice to be able to help people out.”

Representing MD of Pincher Creek No.9

TURNBULL FAMILY Pincher Creek, Alberta

Curtis and Nanette Turnbull only have to stroll down to their lower pasture for a reminder of their family’s past. For a glimpse of their family’s future, they turn their gaze to their three children.

The 2017 BMO Farm Family for the Municipal District of Pincher Creek live on the land homesteaded by the Stuckey family in 1898. The Stuckey’s grandson Rodney Turnbull took over the ranch in the 1970’s from his Uncle Fred, working it with his son Curtis.

for $49,000 at the 43rd annual High Country Bull Sale, an event put on the first Saturday in March by Turnbull Charolais, A&L Robbins Ranching, Char-Lew Ranch and Blaine and Moira Pickard.

“It was funny because I was sitting there as the price was going up and up and I was just shaking. I am thinking, ‘Is this real?’ My friends who were sitting beside me, their eyes were getting bigger and bigger.

It took us a week or so to process. ‘Wow, we sold a bull for that much money.’ ”

“My father-in-law said the homestead was a halfway point, with a wagon trail from Brocket, where the grain elevator was, out to Twin Butte. There’s an old barn there that people would stop and put their horses. There’s still a wagon trail through the bottom pasture. You can see it and really feel the ruts if you drive over it,” Nanette says. “The two younger kids still miss living in the old house. There are a lot of warm memories there.

Kelly, the middle girl, says she wants to take it over one day.”

It’s been decades in the making. In 1998, Curtis and Nanette, a “city girl” from Saskatchewan, married and took over the operation.

They lived in the ranch’s original two-bedroom home, complete with dirt-floor basement and coal chute. Curtis started building his herd of purebred Charolais in high school. Now, it numbers more than 200. The family grows hay, custom hays, and rents pasture land, including a patch in Waterton once owned by Curtis’s great uncle Fred.

Eldest child Kimberly is intent on preserving another aspect of Turnbull history; raising cattle. Just 13, she got her first cow last year and has sold her first calf. “We take them to the bull sales in Saskatchewan and she knows all the numbers. She is very keen on the cattle end of it.” And Curtis thinks they’re going to have to “get some dirt” for their youngest, Dyllan, as he’s into the machinery and growing side of the operation.

They’re also always on the go. The girls figure skate and ride in the 4-H Pincher Creek Silver Reins Light Horse Club. The family does highway cleanups, works in rodeo concessions and helps cater community events. Dyllan is in pond hockey as well. At this year’s bull sale, there was a collection in honour of the late Tracy Jenkins, a friend and wife of auctioneer Frank Jenkins.

It’s a good thing Kimberly got an early start, as her parents have set the bar high. This year, Turnbull Charolais Ltd. had the top-selling Charolais yearling bull in Canada. ‘Duty-Free’ sold

“We collected for the hospital. We tried to make it a community event. She loved the bull sales and she was part of us that day,” Nanette says. “It’s nice to be in a community where everybody is, for the most part, neighbourly and works together.”

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Representing MD of Ranchland No.66

WEBSTER FAMILY Nanton, Alberta

For Tony and Debbie Webster, welcoming people into their home also means introducing them to their way of life.

marrying in 1996. “It’s an experience I would not go back to, but it did foster courage and confidence.”

As the owners of Chimney Rock Bed and Breakfast on the Webster Ranch, the couple host guests from around the world.

Their western hospitality includes showing visitors the day-to-day work it takes to keep their 30-head cow-calf operation running, and the steps the couple have taken to create a sustainable landscape on the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies.

Now, the 2017 BMO Farm Family of the Year for Municipal District of Ranchland No. 66 lives in a home they built in 2001 with all the modern conveniences. They’re also forward-looking with the proactive range and riparian management style of cattle grazing they’ve implemented. The Websters co-manage a lease with their neighbour, to the benefit of both. They’re regulars at the Crown of the Continent. Tony and Deb make up the Chaffen Creek Watershed Group and they’ve worked with the Cows & Fish and Oldman Watershed Council on best practices for riparian pasture, off-site watering systems, weed control and more.

“We do consider ourselves ambassadors.

We are advocates for this lifestyle. We want to showcase some of the tradition and how they merge with science,” Debbie says.

Tony adds with a chuckle, “If we have a guest that stays more than two days, I’ll give them a pair of leather gloves and we’ll go and find a fence.

It gives them a chance to get cut on barbed wire.”

Tony’s had his share of those cuts. Webster Ranch has been in his family since 1946, the year before he was born. His father Art and mother Betty, a war-bride from England, bought 740 acres on the south fork of Willow Creek, about 40 kilometres west of Nanton. Tony and his family moved to Calgary in 1958, but continued to graze cattle in the summer and fall. A neighbouring 740 acres was added to the parcel. Tony joined the Calgary Police Service in 1967, but could be found on the ranch on weekends, holidays and any days off he could find. Tony and his first wife, Faye Darling, raised two sons, Clay and Mike, who also grew up working on the ranch. After Faye passed away, Tony moved to the ranch.

“At the time, the amenities were rather lean,” Deb says diplomatically of the original ranch cabin the couple lived in after

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“It’s an emotional connection. My dad really enjoyed it and my grandfather loved it back here,” Tony says. “Our MD of Ranchland is a pioneer in conservation and we need to be involved in that. For instance, with creek bed preservation we can get access in times of drought, but we have other water sources. We are trying to protect the grasses.”

As a member at large for the MD of Ranchland Agricultural Service Board, Tony was appointed to the Subdivision & Development Appeal Board. Debbie has represented the MD as a Board Member on the Mosquito Creek Foundation and Senior’s Housing in Nanton since 2007. Debbie is also on the MD of Ranchland History Book Committee.

Tony’s two boys and Debbie’s two sons are grown and have families of their own. But everyone joins together and pitches in when there’s work to be done on the ranch,from branding and moving cattle to tackling those never-ending fence repairs.

PAST WINNERS 2016 Cardston County:

Gruninger Farms; Albert & Shirley Gruninger

County of Mountain View: B & D Simmentals; Brian & Teresa Rodger & Family Cypress County:

Neubauer Farms; Mark & Nichole Neubauer

Kneehill County:

Ferguson Family Farm; Don & Krista Ferguson & Family

Lethbridge County:

Papworth Farms Ltd.; Richard & Gloria Papworth & Family

MD of Foothills:

Pine Canyon Cattle Company; Flores & Margaret Groeneveld & Family

MD of Pincher Creek:

Dryfork Ranches; Lester & Doris Hochstein & Family

MD of Ranchland:

Anchor P Cattle Company Ltd.; Clark & Ethel Schlosser & family

MD of Taber:

Molnar’s Taber Corn & Pumpkins; James & Jennifer Molnar & Family

MD of Willow Creek:

Darch Family Farm; Douglas & Olive Darch

Newell County:

Hubert & Wally Rommens Farms; George & Hubert Rommens & Families

Rocky View County:

Jones Hereford Ranch; Allen & Shanna Jones & Family

Special Areas #2:

Broadview Ranch Ltd.; Louise & Brian & Debra Berg & Families

Starland County:

3MC Stock Farms Ltd.; Elson & Pat McDougald

Vulcan County:

Markert Seeds Ltd.; Ron & Louise Markert & Family

Warner County:

Eliason Farms Ltd.; Troy & Sabrina Eliason & Family

Wheatland County:

Praeker Family Farm; Herman & Barb Praeker & Family

2015 Cardston County:

Bar XT Farms; J.R. & Nicki Thompson

County of Forty Mile:

Specialty Seeds Ltd.; Will & Jean Van Roessel

County of Lethbridge:

DRT Farms Ltd.; Darren & Kim Taylor

County of Newell:

Brookside Farms Ltd.; John & Charlotte Dyck & Family

County of Warner:

Ken & Nora Balog Family Farm; Ken & Nora Balog

Cypress County:

Peter-Built Farms Inc.; Trevor & Janet Biemans

MD of Foothills:

Hansen Farms; Harold, Rick & Doug Hansen & Families

MD of Pincher Creek:

Brylor Ranch; Bryan & Sherry Mackenzie

MD of Taber:

Pepneck Family Farm; Pepneck Family

MD of Willow Creek:

The Hall Farm; Roy & Karen Hall & Famiily

Mountain View County:

Dennis & Joanne Overguard Family Farm & Ranch;

Dennis & Joanne Overguard

Rocky View County:

Rockyview Farm; Eric Longeway Family

Special Areas #2:

Quast Family Farm; Oscar, Glenn, Michelle & Brian Quast

Special Area #3:

Twin R Ranching; Rob & Rick Mundt & Families

Starland County:

Riggs Farm Ltd.; Terry Riggs & Family

Vulcan County:

Groves Family Farm; Dale & Diane Groves

Wheatland County:

Walker’s Farm; Ernest & Joyce Walker

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PAST WINNERS 2014 Cardston County:

Darcy Barfuss Farms; Darcy & Maureen Barfuss & Family

County of Forty Mile:

Tony Crooymans & Sons; Crooymans Son & Families

County of Lethbridge:

BH Farms Ltd; Arnie & Malinda Bergen-Henengouwen

County of Newell:

Sereda Family Farms; Ron & Judy Sereda and Family

County of Warner:

Olsen Prairie Farms; Erling & Reid Olsen and Families

Kneehill County:

Sawyer Farms; Matt & Tara Sawyer and Family

MD of Foothills:

Diamond V Ranch; Richard & Doreen Wambeke & Family

MD of Pincher Creek:

Snake Trail Hereford Ranch; Howard Davis & Family

MD of Ranchland:

The Blake Family; John Blake and Family

MD of Taber:

Thistle Ridge Ranch; Ben & Carol Tams and Family

MD of Willow Creek:

Silvery Top Dairy Ltd; Bill & Rita Van Rootselaar & Family

Medicine Hat:

Hatview Dairy Farm; Herb & Hilda Weiss and Family

Mountain View County:

Chinook Country Farms; Larry & Joy Gano and Family

Rocky View County:

Morison Farms Ltd; Rod & Cheryl Morrison and Family

Special Area #2:

GPL Christensen Farms; Grant & Linda Christensen

Special Area #3:

David Dick Farms; David & Jackie Dick and Family

Special Area #4:

Caseley Farms; Jack, Shirley, Marty, Tracey and Family

Starland County:

Nelson Family Farm; Rod & Jim Nelson and Families

Vulcan County:

Wickstrom Farms; Ron Wickstrom and Family

Wheatland County:

Lone Star Cattle Company; Ron & Carla Ostrom & Family

2013

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Cardston County:

Char-Maine Ranching; Steven & Darilyn Quinton

County of Forty Mile:

Merlinds Farms Ltd.; Merle & Ella Nelson

County of Lethbridge:

Atkinson Family; Marty, Nancy, Chase & Brooke Atkinson

County of Newell:

Spragg’s Meat Shop; Greg, Bonnie & Ruth Irwin

County of Warner:

Nelson Family Ranched Ltd.; Jeff & Angie Nelson

Kneehill County:

Bertsch Custom Farms Ltd.; Neil & Lonna Bertsch

MD of Foothills:

Bruketa Family; David, Debbie, Jeff & Jason Bruketa

MD of Pincher Creek:

MX Ranch; Malcolm, Wendy, Wyatt & Mickey Main

MD of Willow Creek:

D-4 Farms Ltd.; Shane & Mary-Ann & Travis Doyle

MD of Taber:

Zelenka Farms Ltd.; Robert, Carol & John Zelenka

Rocky View County:

Malyk Family Farm; Gary, Deb, Lloyd & Kay Malyk

Special Area #2:

Finkbeiner Family; Steward & Marion Finkbeiner

Special Area #4:

Beier Family; Danny, Anna, Morgan & Hayley Beier

Starland County:

5G Farms Ltd.; Craig, Janice, Calvin & Kassandra Russell

Vulcan County:

Smith Ranch; Brent & Judy Smith

Wheatland County:

Dalbey Farms; Olvan & Rita Pallesen

PAST WINNERS 2012 Cypress County: Cardston County: County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Warner: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: MD of Ranchland: MD of Willow Creek: MD of Taber: Mountain View County: Rocky View County: Special Area #2: Special Area #3: Special Area #4: Starland County: Vulcan County: Wheatland County:

Bauer Family, Norman & Jean Bauer Webster Family; Barry& Laura Webster Krooshoop Family, Theo & Regina Krooshoop McCann Family, Donald & Marlene McCann Irwin Ranches: Julie, Todd & John Irwin Schmitt Family, Cameron & Janelle Schmitt Hogg Farms; Bruce, Drann, Norris & Devin Hogg Rowland Family, Phil & Pam Rowland Mowat Family, George & Shirley Mowat Mapiatow Ranches, Betty & Glen Wideman Leeds Family, Charles & Doug Leeds Dry Coulee, Doug & Anita Jensen Bricker Family, David & Phyllis Bricker Rowney Families, Dennis & David Rowney Madge Farms, Phil & Judy Madge Red Wing Farms, Alan & Ramona Chiliak Redel Farms, Barry & Selena Redel Mason Farm, Barry & Dawn Mason Deitz Family, William Deitz Tower Ranches, Terry & Brenda Tower

2011 Cardston County: County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Warner: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: MD of Ranchland: MD of Willow Creek: Mountain View County: Rocky View County: Special Area #2: Special Area #3: Special Area #4: Starland County: Vulcan County: Wheatland County:

Clayton & Senta Gast P Ridge Farms; Ken & Kim Kultgen Triangle 7 Farms; Eugene Wauters Niznik Farms; Bruce & Jodi Niznik K Palmer Farms; Keith & Lynne Palmer Arda Farms; Jay & Lorena Davis Haralta Ranches Ltd.; Jesse & Sarah Hari Elkhorn Stock Ranch; Hilton & Alta Pharis L4L Ranches Ltd.; John & Donna Keeley Lamb Farms; Stan & Arlene Lamb Grandview Acres Farm; Larry & Grace Mullen Walsh Farms; Harley Walsh Rafter T Cattle Company Ltd.; Tom & Lorna Osadczuk Peacock Farms; Bruce & Karen Peacock Webbalta Ranches Ltd.; Kenneth, Vivian, Winston & Darlene Webb John & Nadine Duncalf Lindstedt Farms Ltd.; Mark Lindstedt Dwayne & Mary Marshman

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PAST WINNERS 2010 Country of Forty Mile:

Courtland Hill Farms; Rob & Stephanie VanRoessel

Country of Lethbridge:

XTC Hereford Farm Ltd; Doran & Byron Templeton

County of Newell:

Hemsing Homestead; Tracey & Michele Hemsing

County of Warner:

Cronkhite Cattle Co Ltd; Darcy & Carol Cronkhite

Kneehill County:

Eskeland Farms Ltd; Jim Eskeland

MD of Foothills:

Earl Ranches; Harley & Joan Earl

MD of Pincher Creek:

Reed Farms; Roy & Diane Reed

MD of Ranchland:

Willow Spring Ranch; Carl & Julia Gerwin

MD of Willow Creek:

The Van Hierdens; Harvey & Bernita Van Hierden

Mountain View County: Casebeer Farms; Mernus Casbeer Rocky View County:

Dunn Farms; Jim, Lorne & Danny Dunn

Special Area #2:

Ridge Ranch Ltd; Greg & Karen Gordon

Special Area #3:

Raymond & Sherrie Rude

Starland County:

Dodd Farms; Larry, Cindy, Daniel, Sarah & Michelle Dodd

Vulcan County:

Davey Farms Ltd; Wayne & Mike Davey

Wheatland County:

J C Ranch; Doug & Wes Clark

2009 Cardston County: County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Warner: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: MD of Ranchland: MD of Taber: MD of Willow Creek: Mountain View County: Rocky View County: Special Area #2: Special Area #3: Special Area #4: Starland County: Vulcan County: Wheatland County:

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Bectell Ranch; Jeff & Elizabeth Bectell Thurston Family Farm; Rick & Wendy Thurston Schuld Farms Ltd.; Peter & Alice and Ed & Chris Schuld Loewen Family; Dan & Marg Loewen Losey Farms Ltd.; Alan & Diane Losey R-Jay Farms; Rita & James Main Jeffrey/Egeland Family; Susan Jeffrey & Mark Egeland Cyr Family; Clarence & Helen Cyr Bluebird Valley Ranch Ltd.; Cameron & Jolayne Gardner Tri R Farms; Tim & Patricia Redekop Sun Prairie Organic; Neall & Llizabet Coulson Jackson Family; Joe & Joanne Jackson Scott Stock Farm; Earl & Debra Scott Malaka Ranches; Sylvester & Yvonne Malaka Caskey Family; Graham & Marlene Caskey Murphy Land & Cattle Ltd; Robert & Rosemary Murphy Richmond Ranch; Jim & Stephanie Richmond Bexte Family; Nadine & Hubert Bexte Risdon Farming Ltd.; Norma-Jean & Doug Risdon

PAST WINNERS 2008

2006

Cardston County: Hillmer County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Warner: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: MD of Ranchland: MD of Taber: MD of Willow Creek: Mountain View County: Rocky View County: Special Area #2: Special Area #3:

Martin, Sheila, Keeley & Braeden

Starland County:

Reed Farms

Vulcan County

HP Hansen Farms Ltd

Wheatland County:

Rocky Ridge Land and Cattle

Marlene (Ray) and Sons Lloyd, Connie & Ryan Mercer Barg Farms 409490 Alberta Ltd Rowbottom Farms Humfrey Farms Ltd M & H Ranch Don & Donna Mowat Gouw Quality Onions Husted Farms Mastin Seeds Farquharson Farms 2L Ranch Hern Ranches

2007 Cardston County:

Craig & Mary Ellen Smith

County of Lethbridge:

Witdouck Farms Ltd.

County of Newell:

Rommens Farms Ltd.

County of Warner:

R. J. McKenzie Farms

Cypress County:

Franz Land & Cattle Co.

Kneehill County:

Sorenson Farms Ltd.

MD of Foothills:

McPherson Ranch

MD of Pincher Creek:

Windswept Ranch

MD of Ranchland:

Nelson Ranch

MD of Taber:

Midland Colony

MD of Willow Creek:

Jack & Colleen De Kok & Family

Mountain View County: Bird Family Farm Rocky View County:

Cairns Feed Yard

Special Area #2:

R & L Holdings

Special Area #3:

Whispering Sand Farm

Starland County:

Leonhardt Farms

Wheatland County:

Daryl & Connie Lausen

Cardston County: Nish Farms County of Forty Mile: Van Tryp Brothers Ltd. County of Lethbridge: Keujer Farms County of Newell: Kokay Farms Ltd. County of Warner: Nick D’Agnone Farms Ltd. Cypress County: Fawn Creek Ranching Kneehill Couty: Bates Farms MD of Foothills: Prairie Rock Farms MD of Pincher Creek: Twin Butte Simmentals MD of Ranchland: Bateman Ranch MD of Taber: Welsh Family Farm Mountain View County: Meadow Lea Farms Rocky View County: Lamb Cattle Co. Ltd. Special Areas #2: Bar J Bar Ranch Ltd. Special Areas #3: Wagstaff Land & Cattle Starland County: Don & Sherry Bitz and Family Vulcan County: Bushell Farms Ltd. Wheatland County: Sevcik Simmental Ranch MD of Willow Creek: Echo Springs Ranching Co. Ltd.

2005 Cardston County: Bullock Land & Livestock County of Forty Mile: XL Bar Ranch Ltd County of Newell: Steinbach Ranching County of Warner: Pittman Brothers Cypress County: Biemans Farms Kneehill County: Kubinec Farms MD of Foothills: Robertson Ranch MD of Pincher Creek: The Bloomin Inn MD of Ranchland: Webster Ranch MD of Taber: De Groot Farms MD of Willow Creek: Bar S Ranch Mountain View County: Notley Farms Rocky View County: Hansons Ranches Special Area #2: Housch Family Farm Special Area #3: Peterson Farms Special Area #4: Hadwin Cattle Company Starland County: Michie Farms Ltd. Vulcan County: Clemalta Farms Wheatland County: Corbiell Herefords

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PAST WINNERS 2002

2004 Cardston County: County of Forty-Mile: County of Newell: County of Warner: Cypress County: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: MD of Ranchland: MD of Taber: MD of Willow Creek: Mountain View County: Rocky View County: Special Area #2: Special Area #3: Special Area #4: Starland County: Vulcan County: Wheatland County :

R.C. Bust Farms Harty Farms Ltd. Armstrong Ranches Hierath Farms Flat Valley Farm E & D Hastie Farms Newman Farms Ltd. McClelland Family Ranch Cross Six Ranch Oseen Farms Gray Farm Israelson Farms 7 Y Bar Farms Stringer Ranches Camden Farms Ltd. Ron Letniak Farm Hoover Farm Benci Seed Farms Hilton Acres Ltd.

2003 Cardston County: County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Warner: Cypress County: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Ranchland: MD of Taber: Mountain View County: Rocky View County: Special Area #2: Special Area #4: Starland County: Vulcan County: Wheatland County:

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Bo-Mar Farms Schusslet Brothers Nolan Cattle Co, Ltd. Lazy A Farms Ltd. Hwy 52 Beef Producers Ltd. Aberle Farms Penner Land & Cattle Inc. Giles Ranch Mountain Park Ranch Geremia Farms Pochapsky Farms Cairns Feedlot Ltd. Gould Ranching Ltd. Rooke Ranching Ltd. Wilson Grande Coulee Ranch Triple E Farms Ostergard’s Seed Farm Ltd.

Cardston County: County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Warner: Cypress County: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: MD of Ranchland: MD of Taber: MD of Willow Creek: Mountain View County: Special Area #2: Starland County: Vulcan County: Wheatland County:

Hansen Ranches Murray Lake Ranching Tokariuk Family Burton Farms Wilde Bros. Farms Ltd. Yanke Ranches Stankievech Farms Roseburn Ranches Ltd. Ricjard & Stephanie Hardy Rocking P Ranch Nakamura Farms Ltd. Bar-RZ Polled Herefords West 40 Farms Ltd. & Richview Farms Ltd. Day Lenfesty Adams Land & Laivestock Ltd. Twin Valley Farm & Ranch Pat Cammaert Farm

2001 Cardston County: County of Forty Mile: County of Lethbridge: County of Newell: County of Ranchland: County of Warner: Cypress County: Kneehill County: MD of Foothills: MD of Pincher Creek: Mountain View County: Rocky View County:

Bar Double M Angus Edmond & Ruby Hirch Fletcher Farms Fabian Seed Farms Burke Creek Ranch Ltd. Doenz Ranches Ltd. V & V Farms Bell Farms Schaal Ranch Cairnstone Farms Poplar View Ranch R. Havens Cattle Co.

Special Area #2:

Rockyhill Ranch

Special Area #4:

Deagle Cattle

Starland County:

MDM Aqua Farms

2017 BMO FARM FAMILY AWARDS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Monday, July 10, 2017 • Palomino Room • BMO Centre Master of Ceremonies - Darrel Janz 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

Registration Champagne and Orange Juice Reception Live Music by Horizon Ridge (Palomino Room)

10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Greetings from Alberta Minister of Agriculture - Oneil Carlier Greetings from the Calgary Stampede – David Sibbald, President and Chairman of the Board Grace - Darrel Janz

10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Buffet Brunch

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Greetings from BMO Bank of Montreal – Susan Brown Awards Presentation Family Photograph Session

12:30 p.m.

Closing Remarks - Darrel Janz

1:15 p.m.

Calgary Stampede Rodeo

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2017 AGRICULTURE

EVENTS EVENT DATES Team Cattle Penning

July 5 - 10

Agrium Ag-Tivity in the City

July 7 - 16

Draft Horse Town

July 7 – 16

International Agriculture & Agri-Food International Room

July 7 – 16

Horse Haven / Light Horse Presentations

July 7 – 16

The Cattle Trail

July 7 – 16

Blacksmith Showcase

July 7 – 16

Sheep Showcase

July 7 – 16

Swine Showcase

July 7 – 16

Sheep Shearing

July 15 – 16

Miniature Donkey Showcase

July 7 - 10

Heavy Horse Show

July 7 – 10

World Stock Dog Championships

July 8 – 9

Cowboy Up Challenge

July 8 – 12

Vintage Tractor Pull and Tractor Show & Shine

July 9 – 10

Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting

July 10 – 12

Canadian National Miniature Horse Show

July 11 – 13

Working Cow Horse Classic

July 13

Heavy Horse Pull

July 13 – 16

International Auctioneers Championships

July 14– 15

Blacksmith Classic

July 13 – 16

International Youth Livestock Supreme & Scholarships

July 15 - 16

Junior Steer Classic

July 16

Quality Beef Competition

July 17