2012 BMO FARM FAMILY AWARDS

On behalf of the Calgary Stampede, welcome to the 2012 BMO Farm Family Awards.

This is an extra special year, as we are in the midst of celebrating our Centennial

Calgary Stampede!

We’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this year - thinking about Stampede history and

the time of our founding.

One thing that has been unwavering over the past 100 years is our commitment to

agriculture. At the Calgary Stampede, agriculture is at the heart of what we do and we

are honoured to celebrate the families taking part in the Farm Family Awards.

We see the next 100 years as an opportunity to further demonstrate our commitment

to preserving Western heritage and values and we will depend on the passionate

Albertans involved in agriculture to help us achieve our dreams.

Congratulations to the families being recognized today and thank you for your

personal and family commitment to agriculture.

I hope that you have a fantastic time at the 2012 Centennial Stampede!

We truly are greatest together.

Mike Casey

President and Chairman of the Board

Calgary Stampede

CHAIRMAN’S GREETING

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In this the Calgary Stampede’s Centennial year, BMO Financial Group is proud

to be the official bank of the Calgary Stampede for the past 100 years. That’s why

we’re corralling the farming community once again to celebrate with us at the 2012

BMO Farm Family Awards.

It’s a big year with big spirit and big accolades to share with the best farm families

in southern Alberta. More western style celebrations and birthday cake are in store for

us for sure.

We’re proud of the farm families who make a vital contribution to the province’s

economic growth and to the health and wellness of citizens in Alberta and throughout

Canada. Those we honour with these awards represent the pioneering spirit of hard

work, innovation and collaboration.

We are privileged to be the Centennial Partner with the Calgary Stampede and the

Agricultural Events Committee to recognize these outstanding farm families.

Congratulations and we would be delighted to have some good conversations with all

the 2012 BMO Farm Family Award winners – to assist them in making their operations

prosper and grow for the next 100 years!

W.R. (Bill) Hogg,

Vice President, Alberta/Northwest Territories Commercial District

BMO Bank of Montreal

GREETINGS FROM BMO

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2012 BMO FARM FAMILY AWARD WINNERS

TOWERFAMILY

MOWATFAMILY

ROWLAND FAMILY

LEEDSFAMILY

SCHMITTFAMILY

IRWINFAMILY

WEBSTERFAMILY

DEITZFAMILY

KROOSHOOPFAMILY

BAUERFAMILY

MADGEFAMILY

WIDEMANFAMILY

ROWNEYFAMILY

BRICKER FAMILY

HOGGFAMILY

REDELFAMILY

MASONFAMILY

CHILIAKFAMILY

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MCCANNFAMILY

JENSENFAMILY

CONGRATULATIONS2012 BMO Farm Families

Bauer Family, Hilda Page 5

Bricker Family, Didsbury Page 6

Chiliak Family, Oyen Page 7

Deitz Family, Milo Page 8

Hogg Family, Huxley Page 9

Irwin Family, Patricia Page 10

Jensen Family, Barnwell Page 11

Krooshoop Family, Bow Island Page 12

Leeds Family, Claresholm Page 13

Madge Family, Hanna Page 14

Mason Family, Delia Page 15

McCann Family, Coaldale Page 16

Mowat Family, Cowley Page 17

Redel Family, Consort Page 18

Rowland Family, High River Page 19

Rowney Family, Madden Page 20

Schmitt Family, Milk River Page 21

Tower Family, Gleichen Page 22

Webster Family, Mountain View Page 23

Wideman Family, Nanton Page 24

4

Representing Cypress County

BAUER FAMILYHilda, Alberta

Although the entire history of agriculture in Southern Alberta

is more than a century old, there have been a lot of changes in

that relatively short time. For example, when Norman Bauer’s

great-grandfather and his family homesteaded near Hilda in

1911, the plough was the implement that marked their progress.

“You weren’t a good farmer unless your land was good and

black,” Norman says.

By 1964, when Norman and his wife Jean began farming the

same land, they grew wheat, barley and hay, and half the land

was summer-fallowed — but wind and water erosion was still a

problem. The next generation, their son Gregory and his wife

Cathy, brought some new

ideas with them when they

joined the farm. Together,

their progressive attitude and

community focus have earned

them the 2012 BMO Farm

Family Award representing

Cypress County.

Over the years, the Bauer

farm’s operations have

changed — to the point where

today, a wide variety of crops

are grown on several thousand zero-till acres. “I was skeptical of

all this stuff,” Norman admits. “(Gregory) wanted to try this stuff

and I played along. He’s pretty well proved it. No-till farming

has been quite successful. Our soil has a mulch of plant residue

on the surface. The plants can make much better use of the rain

that falls, and not as much is lost to evaporation.”

There is satisfaction for the Bauer family in actually seeing their

land improve, but, Norman cautions, “It will take quite a while to

make it as good as it was when our forefathers broke it up.”

The Bauer farm is only part of the family’s operation. The

other part is the Bauer ranch, which has also seen some big

changes over the years. “When my wife and I came here in 1964,

my dad’s herd was Hereford,” Norman recalls. The big change

Norman brought in was switching to Charolais cattle, a program

they kept going for 20 years. “We sold all the cows in ‘84 and

went to a yearling program,” he continues. “In 1997 we started

out again in the cow business with the black cows, Angus cows.”

The herd has grown to 900 cows, and Norman admits freely

he can’t say what is next. “It’s evolving all the time. What the

next 20 years will bring, I don’t know.”

Over the years, the Bauers

have been quite involved

with their community.

Norman still serves on the

church board and, in the

past, served on boards

for the Hilda Community

Association, Forty Mile Gas

Co-op and the Alberta Cattle

Commission. Jean volunteers

on the Medicine Hat and

District Health Foundation

Board. Gregory is a volunteer fireman and belongs to a farm

management group, and Cathy is active with the Schuler School

Council. Gregory and Cathy’s son Luke is a student at Schuler

School.

“I think if you enjoy what you do, the chances of success are

greatly increased,” Norman muses. “I honestly never get tired of

going out to check on the cattle along the riverbank. Not many

people have that nice a place to go to work.”

5

Representing Mountain View County

BRICKER FAMILYDidsbury, Alberta

Didsbury as a fair way from Chestermere, but a short distance

southwest of Didsbury is where you’ll find Chestermere

Herefords, the Bricker family’s purebred cattle operation. The

reason the farm name doesn’t match its location is because the

herd originated on the original Bricker farm just east of Calgary.

In 1976, Dave Bricker and his family and business relocated to

the land originally settled by the family of his wife, the former

Phyllis Hughes, in 1904.

“The raising of superior animals is a continuous goal,” Dave

says. “It’s an interesting business, and it’s fairly complex.”

Bricker will receive a

50-year pin from the

Canadian Hereford

Association this year — a

testament to his steadfast

faith in the breed, even

during the decades when

the British breeds seemed

to be going out of favour.

“When exotic cattle came

in, they were the rage,” he

recalls. “They did make us

raise up our herds in value

and type. In the long run,

it’s paid off, but it was a rough trip to begin with.”

“We calve out about 60 cows a year,” Dave explains. “We keep

replacement heifers and a group of a dozen or so bulls to market

to the purebred industry.” Dave and Phyllis are not as active as

they once were, as their sons Gordon and Ross conduct most

of the farm’s operations. Ross is mainly involved with herd

management, as he also works at an executive job in Calgary.

Gordon, the eldest, does most of the day-to-day work.

The farm also grows barley, oats, canola and hay on over

half of its 960 acres. “We’re doing continuous crop, but not

direct seeding,” Dave says. “We still use a drill. We’re quite a

ways west and the soil is somewhat deep. It’s very coarse. We

have a different season here than they do to the east. It’s much

cooler, and we have moisture in the morning that they don’t

encounter.”

Both Dave and Phyllis are active members of their church, but

have reduced their community involvement in recent years. In

the past, Dave was involved with Unifarm, as well as the local

hall board, and was safety co-ordinator for the county. Phyllis

was involved in many

women’s organizations,

as were her mother and

grandmother.

Today, the family’s

tradition of community

involvement is carried

on by Ross and his

wife, Rose. The local

school parent advisory

committee and the

Didsbury skate club are

two organizations they

have worked on, and they, with their children Alexa and Kyle,

are also involved in 4-H.

With a fifth generation of the same family growing up on

the same land, creating and sustaining a successful farming

operation and community involvement, it’s easy to see why the

Bricker family has received the 2012 BMO Farm Family Award

for Mountain View County.

6

Representing Special Area No. 3

CHILIAK FAMILYOyen, Alberta

The Chiliak family calls its operation Red Wing Farms Ltd. for

the many red-winged blackbirds that share their habitat. “We’re

avid birdwatchers,” says Ramona Chiliak. “We’ve acquired

a nice little library of bird books.” Additionally, she says, the

family looked after a five mile stretch of birdboxes that provided

shelter for bluebirds and swallows.

In a nutshell, that’s one of the big advantages Alan and

Ramona Chiliak find in life on the farm. The chance to home-

school their children and spend time as a family — even during

the workday — are opportunities they know they wouldn’t find

in an urban setting. In

celebration of these family

values, as well as their

successful farm, the Chiliaks

have been chosen as the 2012

BMO Farm Family for Special

Area No. 3.

Alan’s grandfather moved

to the Alsask, Sask., area in

1930. In 1950, his son Bill

made a short move west

that took the family over the

provincial boundary, and began to build a cattle herd. Alan, the

youngest son, began farming on his own in 1992 and assumed

responsibility for the whole family operation in 1998.

Over the years, the family has grown a wide variety of crops

on the farm portion of their land, which totals about 3,500

acres. This year they’re growing yellow mustard, canola, wheat,

and barley. “I try to never have the same crop in the same field

two years in a row,” Alan says. “In the coming years I’m hoping

to reintroduce pulses into the rotation.”

Over the years, the farm has kept up with the changes in

agriculture. Chem-fallow was introduced in the 1980s, and

minimum-till in the early ’90s. The Chiliak operation was a

directly-seeded, continuously-cropped no-till operation by the

end of that decade. After noticing yields were up to three times

better off a chem-fallowed field than a continuously-cropped

one, Alan now chem-fallows half the land each year.

The bloodlines of the cattle on the farm’s 2,000 acres of

pasture have evolved over the years. For about 20 years the herd

was mostly Simmental with a Red Angus or Gelbvieh cross, but

Black Angus has come into the

mix since 2007. At present,

there are 52 cows on the place

with some heifers and four

steers. Alan says his father Bill

is more of a cattleman than

he is.

Over the years each

generation of the family

has contributed to the

community. Alan and

Ramona are members of the

Sibbald Community Club, on the executive of the Big Country

Agricultural Society, and members of the Oyen and District

Historical Society, and have been active in the church and

4-H. Their children, Allison, Tyler and Steven are active with

school, church and the BCAS. “That’s the way we were raised,”

Alan says. “We’re not just here to make money. We’re here to

contribute, and we do that in the best way we can.”

Adds Alan: “Farming has been in our family as long as I

can remember. I’m hoping that one of my kids takes over. I’m

trying to set the farm up in a way that it’s ready for the next

generation.”

7

Representing Vulcan County

DEITZ FAMILYMilo, Alberta

There was a time when just about every Prairie town had a

grain elevator. As the big grain companies consolidated their

storage into larger and larger terminals, the elevators began to

disappear. Today, there aren’t many left to be found.

There’s one in Milo, however, thanks to the 2012 BMO Farm

Family representing Vulcan County — the Deitz family. As Lloyd

Deitz, the family member most involved with the elevator, tells

the story, the structure might have been demolished if the train

tracks leading to it had been left. But when the tracks were torn

out, the company that had operated the elevator decided it

wouldn’t represent any competition, and put it up for sale. The

Deitz family needed the

storage, and the town

wanted the elevator to

stay, so things worked

out.

The changing times,

Lloyd continues,

are producing

opportunities that are

making the elevator an

even better business

proposition than the

family had originally hoped. The sheer scale of the giant grain

terminals has taken away their ability to blend different grades

of grain. The Milo elevator doesn’t have that problem because it

has smaller bins. “If an end-user wants a certain grade, we can

make exactly what they want,” Lloyd says.

It wasn’t as though the Deitz family didn’t have plenty to do

already. The farm was founded in 1919 by Jack Deitz when he

returned from the First World War and purchased land eight

kilometres east of Milo. The family is still on the same land,

and William, Jack’s youngest son, still lives there with his son,

Wes. Between the two of them, they tend to the outfit’s herd of

110 Limousin-cross cows on 2,000 acres of pasture, selling the

calves in the fall. There are also 6,000 acres devoted to growing

a rotation of canola, wheat, durum, barley, and peas.

William’s sister, Maxine, lives in another house on the home

place and has an important role in the farm’s operations, while

his other two sons, Lloyd and Gerald, live in Milo. Gerald is

married to Ginger and has two children, Nicole and Jaxson, who

are beginning to be a big help on the farm. William’s daughter,

Lynn, is married to Terry Burgess and lives about 32 kilometres

west of town. They have

three children — Corey,

Kari and Jody, who is

married to Andrew

Looy. “Everybody’s part

of the operation,” Lloyd

notes. “Everybody has a

part, and they do their

part.” The family still

treasures the memory of

their mother, Lois, who

passed away in 2006.

Most of the town of Milo owes its existence to the

community’s volunteer spirit, Lloyd says, citing the community

hall, library, skating rink and curling rink as examples.

Regardless of whether it’s the Recreation Board, the Agricultural

Society, the water co-op, the seed cleaning plant, the library, fall

fair, or curling club, he says, “everybody in our family has had a

stint or two or three on all of them. We like to get involved with

the whole community.”

8

Representing Kneehill County

HOGG FAMILYHuxley, Alberta

When Francis Hogg, a Scottish veteran of the Boer War, and

his wife Euphemia homesteaded, there wasn’t any such place

as Alberta. It was 1904, and they were settling in what was then

called the North West Territories. The land they chose, a few

kilometres west and north of Huxley, is still the home farm for

their descendants.

There’s quite a bit more land on the Hogg family farm now

than there was in 1904. Economies of scale are important in

modern agriculture, and Bruce and Leona Hogg, with their

sons Drann, Norris and Devin, now farm 4,000 acres and have

another 1,500 acres for pasture.

In the 1980s, the farm moved

away from summer-fallow to

direct seeding.

The introduction of GPS

and automatic shut-offs on the

sprayers has further improved

the productivity and health

of the land. Currently, the

crop rotation includes canola,

wheat, barley, peas, and flax.

“We do chem-fallow once in a

while. It depends on the field

and what we’re planning on doing with it,” Bruce explains. “It’s

usually continuous crop.”

The cattle side of the Hogg family operation has changed over

the years. Once a purebred Angus herd, the change was made

to commercial cattle some years ago. The farm has 220 head of

Black Angus/Simmental cross cows. Calves are backgrounded

and sold, some in November and some in April and May. “We

keep 25 or 30 replacement heifers every year,” Bruce says.

In 2004, the Hoggs began to grow corn to try and reduce the

cost of feeding the cattle. Some silage is kept to feed calves,

but the stalks are left standing to serve as feed in the winter.

There are significant costs to growing, harvesting, and storing

feed, taking it to the cattle, and then taking their manure back

to the fields, Bruce says. Leaving the cattle out makes for a

considerable saving, especially in labour.

“This country was built on everybody helping everybody else,”

Bruce notes. Apart from the informal help one neighbour gives

another, Bruce was a 4-H leader for five years, was on the Elnora

Agricultural Society and the

UFA advisory, and is a member

of the Elks Club. Leona has

been active in the Friends of

Education at Huxley, as well as

the PTA, taught Sunday school,

and worked on the Huxley

History Book Committee.

According to Leona,

members of the Hogg family

have always worked off the

farm at one pursuit or another.

Eldest son Drann, for example,

travels the province with his grain cleaning business, but the

family has done that before. In the barn, Bruce says, is a grain

cleaner built by his father and uncles back in 1953.

The family’s 108-year history is important to Bruce, but he

remarks: “I was raised to think it’s not for me. It’s for the next

generation and my grandchildren.” This attitude is a large part

of the reason the Hogg family is the 2012 BMO Farm Family for

Kneehill County.

9

Representing County of Newell

IRWIN FAMILYPatricia, Alberta

The community of Patricia is a very close-knit one, says Todd

Irwin. Quite often, he notes, newcomers enjoy the community’s

spirit and friendly atmosphere so much that they settle down

and never leave. Perhaps that’s what happened to Bob Irwin

when he arrived in the area in 1910. The family still has a

strong presence — strong enough

for the Irwins to earn the 2012 BMO

Farm Family Award for the County of

Newell.

In 1950, Bob and his son Albert

purchased the Circle Ranch from the

Pat Burns family. Today, Albert’s sons

Todd and John, with their families,

continue the ranching tradition. Todd

is assisted at busy times by his sons,

Rob and Bill. John and his wife Kathy,

their daughter Krista and her fiance

Rick are also on the land full-time.

Krista’s brother Mark works off the

farm, but returns when he is needed.

The family matriarch, Julia, is still

actively involved, as well.

Extending over 9,000 acres of

deeded land and a couple of thousand more leased acres, the

Irwin Ranches are mainly native grass pasture with about 500

acres irrigated for hay. The biggest component of the Irwin

outfit is 600 cow/calf pairs. The steer calves are sold off in the

fall, while the heifer calves are kept. The best Hereford heifer

calves are kept for replacements, while the best Hereford/Red

Angus cross heifers are sold annually as bred heifers.

“Our customers can’t believe how tame those heifers of ours

are,” Todd says. “Around here, if it even looks at you sideways,

it’s gone.” The preference for well-behaved animals is why the

ranch uses Red Angus bulls. “Grandpa bought a pair of Black

Angus bulls in the late ’60s,” Todd recalls. “I had to look after

them. They’d try and kill you. They’d try to kill your horse.

They’d go through fences. They’d be six miles away and you’d

have to fix all the fences behind them

all summer. I just hated them. I guess,”

he adds with a chuckle, “I still hold a

grudge.”

Todd attends between 20 and 30

bull sales every year. “I like buying

bulls,” he says. “It’s my favourite

thing.” His passion is in the family’s

tradition, he points out, since the

family has either bought or sold

animals at the Calgary Bull Sale in

March for 70 consecutive years.

Over the years, the Irwin family has

made many contributions to causes

such as the Brooks hospital, county

hockey and curling rinks, community

halls, local schools, and churches. John

and Todd are on the board of directors

and the Bull Inspection Committee of the Patricia Community

Pasture, and a number of other organizations.

There is now a fourth generation of the family on the Irwin

land, with the involvement of John and Kathy’s daughter,

Krista. Todd, who worked for a time in the oilpatch before

returning to the ranch, is unsure if his sons will do the same.

“It’s been in the family a long time, so you don’t want to lose it,”

he says. “I told them, ‘Don’t ever sell it!’ and they agree. If they

ever want to come back, they know how to do it.”

10

Representing the Municipal District of Taber

JENSEN FAMILYBarnwell, Alberta

The image that defines the settlement of Southern Alberta is

almost certainly that of the cowboy. Although Nels Jensen had

been a miner back in Utah, he went to work as a cowboy when

he came north in 1903 to work for Ray Knight, one of the early

movers and shakers in the area. And in 1904, Jensen filed on a

homestead just north of Barnwell.

Nels was Doug Jensen’s

grandfather — and to

this day, the Dry Coulee

Jensen Ranch is a cattle

operation. “There’s been

grain and sugar beets over

the years, but (raising)

cows has always been

the number one thing,”

Doug says. The cattle still

graze on native pasture

grasses, and over the years

the family has always

carefully monitored those

pastures to guard against overgrazing. On the irrigated portions

of the land, the Jensens grow hay to feed their cattle and horses.

Until recently the Jensen herd was bigger, focusing on the

Gelbvieh breed. “We sold out of the purebred business two years

ago,” Doug says. “It’s pretty much my wife Anita and I, and we

decided to have a break. I’ve been gradually buying a few to run

on the pasture.” The herd this year is about 20 cow/calf pairs

and a few yearlings.

The Jensen ranch hasn’t moved to pivot irrigation, and still

uses wheels. As a result, “you’re here a lot more,” Doug notes.

“When it’s irrigation season, you have to be here to watch that

everything’s going. It means you have to get up at 5 a.m. to move

pipe, and you have to do it again at 5 p.m. It keeps you busy.”

Some members of the fourth generation of Jensens raised on

the ranch still live there with Doug and Anita. Although sons

Clayton and Cody have full-time jobs in Taber, they live at home

and are a big help on the ranch. The two oldest boys, Tyrell and

Niels, are married and live in the area. “All the kids keep a horse

here and everybody’s helping me as much as they possibly can,”

Doug points out.

It isn’t just the younger

generation helping out,

either. Doug’s father

Gordon, 87, still helps

with the chores, and

this dedicated family

involvement goes a long

way toward explaining

why the Jensen ranch

is the 2012 BMO Farm

Family Award winner for

the MD of Taber.

The increase in value of irrigated land has cost the Jensen

family many of its former neighbours — people who knew Doug

as a Scoutmaster, and both Doug and Anita as 4-H leaders. “I

get approached by potato guys all the time that want to come

and rip up my place and put it in potatoes and put a pivot on

it,” notes Doug. “We don’t want to rent out, so we stick with the

wheels and keep raising hay and struggling ahead. I like my

cows too much.

“The pasture to the north, here, where we run the cows — to

be out there, in nature, riding the same country my father rode

and my grandfather rode, it means a lot.”

11

Representing County of Forty Mile No. 8

KROOSHOOP FAMILYBow Island, Alberta

In 1910, Joseph Roth established his homestead near Bow

Island. More than a hundred years later, his descendants are

still farming the same land. Although the name of the family

farming the land today is different, the story that goes with the

new name would almost certainly be familiar to the man who

established the farm.

“I came here when I was 18,” says Theo Krooshoop, who was

raised on a dairy farm in Holland. “I wanted to farm. Back

home there’s no opportunity for it anymore. There’s too many

people and not enough land.” After starting out on a dairy farm

in B.C., Theo worked in

construction, as a mechanic,

and even on a sunflower

farm before coming to the

Bow Island area where he

worked for several local

farmers.

Theo also met Regina

Roth, and in 1984 they

were married. In 1988, the

couple started farming

for themselves on rented

land. Some of the land they

work today was purchased from Regina’s father, Peter Roth,

and uncle George Roth. It took a lot of custom combining and

beet hauling, in addition to what the farm produced, to get the

family to where they are today — and this year, the Krooshoops

are the 2012 BMO Farm Family Award recipients representing

County of Forty Mile No. 8.

The techniques for dryland farming have changed in the

years since Theo first began working the land on his own. “I

went away from the summer fallow,” he says. Chemical fallow

is now the method he uses to keep weeds under control and he

uses an air drill to seed. In addition, Theo says, “seeding peas on

the stubble to put nitrogen back into the soil seems to work well

around here. Seeding half-and-half, you’re kind of guaranteed

to get somewhat of a crop every year. You try and get the best out

of it and do what’s best for you and for the land.”

Theo and Regina have two children, Jen and Cody, whose

activities have kept the Krooshoops busy in the Bow Island

community. Church activities and Town of Bow Island functions

have also seen the family

volunteer their time. “It’s a

very friendly community.

Supportive, too,” says Theo

of his home for the past 33

years. “Over the years people

have helped me a lot and I’ve

helped a lot of people.”

“I don’t know if they want

to farm,” Theo says of his

children. “They help me a

lot. I always say, ‘You’ll farm.

You just don’t know it yet.’ ”

Theo is well aware of how special it is to be the father of the

fourth generation of the farm’s founding family. “It’s a good

feeling that it’s still in the family. We were seeding on that piece

of land and the old house is still standing. I said to my son, ‘Can

you imagine your great-grandfather standing on the porch and

seeing you seeding? The man would be proud of you.’ ”

12

Representing Municipal District of Willow Creek

LEEDS FAMILYClaresholm, Alberta

The Leeds family has farmed and raised cattle just a few

kilometres northwest of Claresholm since 1887. Today, the

two Leeds brothers, Charles and Doug, continue the family’s

presence on the land. In fact, Charles Leeds lives with his wife

Patricia in a house built way back in 1907, on the east side of

Willow Creek.

The creek itself has played a big role in the history of the

Leeds family’s farming efforts. In 1891, their land was the site

of the first irrigation project on Willow Creek. At the time, flood

irrigation was used, but there were difficulties because of the

erratic nature of the creek. “When they needed the water it

wasn’t there, and when

they didn’t, it was too wet,”

Doug explains. “Sometimes

you can cross it in your

Oxford shoes and not get

your feet very wet, but

when it floods, it really lets

loose. In ’95 and ’05, it was

a quarter-mile across and

16 feet deep.”

Since the late ’70s,

Willow Creek has provided

irrigation again — but this time the water is pumped, not

brought down in ditches. Most of what is grown on the brothers’

irrigated fields goes to feed their cattle, Charles says, although

Doug is putting in a second pivot and plans to seed canola.

Where the land is not irrigated, the main crop is oats, direct-

seeded onto stubble. Neither brother’s farm has as much

cropland as it once did.

“We’ve seeded a lot of it back to grass,” says Doug. “We’re right

on the edge of farming what shouldn’t be farmed. We’re on the

edge of the foothills. West of the creek, it’s very rocky.” Charles

notes that the riparian areas near the creek are treated gently to

preserve the trees and cover.

The two brothers run herds of 140 to 150 cows, mainly a

Hereford/Angus cross, selling the calves in the fall. All three

of Charles and Patricia’s boys work off the farm, but two of

them, Shayne and Cameron, have cattle of their own and are

back regularly. The other son, Monty, assists as time permits.

Doug and Irene have twin sons, Anthony and Christopher, in

Saskatchewan. Their son Mark and daughter Paula help out in

the busy times.

Both Charles and Doug

have a strong sense of

history. Doug is on the

Museum Board Committee

with the MD of Willow

Creek, as well as the Pine

Coulee Advisory Board,

and worked on the district

history book. Charles

and Patricia are both

on the executive of the

Willow Creek Historical

Association. Charles is also a member of the Heritage Acres

Pioneer Museum of Pincher Creek. This strong sense of the past,

paired with community involvement, led to the Leeds family

being named the BMO Farm Family representing the MD of

Willow Creek for 2012.

“If it was a farm I’d bought and lived on for a few years, I

wouldn’t care if I sold it,” Charles says. “A heritage farm? You

feel like you have to pass it on.”

13

Representing Special Area No. 2

MADGE FAMILYHanna, Alberta

The Madge family farming operation near Hanna — winner

of the 2012 BMO Farm Family Award for Special Area No. 2 — has

been around for as long as Alberta has

been a province. Alberta has grown a lot

since 1905, and so has Madge Farms Ltd.

In 1905, Fred Madge settled south

of Richdale and started running some

cattle. His son George started farming

a little to the east, near Stanmore, in

1950. In 1964, Phil Madge, George’s son,

bought a place just down the road. And

in 1992, his son James Madge started

farming full-time. The family now has a

grain growing and cattle operation that

is spread over 17,000 acres based on the

home farm 32 kilometres miles east of

Hanna.

On the cattle side, the farm will breed

700 head this year. The Black Angus-

cross cows calved out in May and June

on grass. The calves will be weaned in

December and then backgrounded until

they are sold in March and April.

What makes the Madge operation different is its grain

acreage. “We have terrible solonetzic soil and we have a real bad

layer of hardpan,” James says. In the late 1970s, James’s father

Phil began a program of deep tilling. “It shatters your hardpan

and brings better soil up from underneath, and it lets roots and

moisture go down,” he explains. “We’ve grown some huge crops

in this country – which never used to happen east of Hanna.”

The Madge land was turned over to a depth of 24 to 32 inches,

but deep tilling isn’t something to be embarked upon casually,

James points out. “It’s very slow and very expensive. I’m glad we

did as much as we did in the past. At a dollar a litre for fuel now,

it’s quite rich to do, but we don’t have

to do as much because we’ve done so

much already,” he says. “It’s a once-

in-a-lifetime thing. We get it worked

down and then it goes right back into

the no-till rotation.”

Direct seeding is also practised,

but James says the land is too dry for

continuous cropping. About half of

the farm’s 7,500 acres of cropland are

put in chem-fallow each year, with the

other half growing a rotation of wheat,

barley, oats, and hay.

The entire Madge family is active in

their church and 4-H, and James has

served on the board of the Chinook

Applied Research Association, the

Agricore United committee, and the

Youngstown Recreation board. Both

James and his wife Carrie have coached

various sports teams.

As the fourth generation of his family to farm in the area,

James can both look back at its rich history, and also look

forward and see the fifth generation, represented by his

children — Sydney, Lane, Tanner and Carson. “They don’t much

care for running tractors, but they sure have a passion for the

cattle,” he observes. “I always say I’ve never worked a day in my

life, because if you’re enjoying what you’re doing, it’s not work.

I hope my children have the same passion for it and want to do

it as well.”

14

Representing Starland County

MASON FAMILYDelia, Alberta

Farming for a living has its share of fringe benefits, says Barry

Mason, who cash crops nearly 6,000 acres just north of Delia. “I

have a pretty well-rounded job. I’ve got lots of variety,” he says.

There’s one benefit that stands out from all the others, though.

“It’s something I can do with my family,” he notes. “Most

occupations are separate from the family — not farming.”

The first Mason to farm in Alberta was Barry’s great-

grandfather, who started in the Handhills region in 1903 and

moved to the flatlands five years later. Barry is the fourth

generation on the same land, and his children, Kari, Laura and

Jared, are the fifth. Together,

the Masons have earned

the 2012 BMO Farm Family

Award for Starland County.

The farm was once a

mixed grain and cattle

business, but the cattle are

long gone. “Dad got out in

1980,” Barry says. “He felt

that he couldn’t do a good

job of both.” This year, Barry

will sow winter wheat, hard

red spring wheat, canola,

malt barley, and field peas. The latter are hard to harvest, Barry

admits, but the crop’s virtues outweigh its deficiencies. “They

fix nitrogen in the soil. They’re good phosphorus miners. They

condition the soil and they’re a good disease break. Normally,

after growing peas, I’ll put in a wheat crop and it’ll be virtually

disease-free.”

The biggest change he’s seen since taking over in 1985, he

says, is the switch to bigger, but fewer, farms. “So many got into

it because farming was supposed to be a simple life,” he reflects.

“Now, it’s pretty complex and costly. The need for change and

knowledge in this industry has grown so much, it’s caught a lot

of people off-balance and they’ve thrown in the towel.”

Growing up on the farm is much different now, he notes. “I

remember helping my grandfather and my dad dynamite rocks

out of the ground,” he recalls. Barry’s wife, Dawn, says that Jared

was disappointed to learn that blowing things up is not part

of most modern farmers’ repertoire. On the other hand, Barry

says, Jared has been able to operate the combine since he was 11.

“He understands computers and he taught his grandfathers and

our young hired fellow how

to run the combine. It made

me grin.”

The Masons were

early pioneers of many

farming practices that

are common today. They

began soil testing in 1980,

and continuous cropping

and direct seeding in 1984.

Barry remembers going

with his father, Albert, to a

seminar in Edmonton that

opened their eyes to these new techniques. Together, father

and son were the co-founders of the Delia Conservation 2000

Club, of which Barry has been president since 1997. Barry is also

a director of the Delia Agricultural Society, and he and Dawn

have been very active with various local sporting organizations.

“We’re well-known, and the community has shrunk, so you have

to do your part,” he says.

15

Representing County of Lethbridge

MCCANN FAMILYCoaldale, Alberta

The McCann family has relatives who live a long way from

the farm, and lead a decidedly non-agricultural lifestyle. But

those rural roots still mean something. “We have great-nieces

and nephews in Sechelt, B.C.,” says Marlene McCann. “Their

mother spent every summer on the farm and they’ve told their

teachers, ‘We have a farm in Alberta.’ Our farm is quite busy in

the summer with people visiting.” The appeal may grow even

more, now that the McCanns have won a 2012 BMO Farm Family

Award representing the County of Lethbridge.

The McCanns took a rather indirect path to the family’s

eventual homestead near Readymade, east of Coaldale. John

and Catherine McCann started

out in Bruce County, Ontario, and

moved to North Dakota in 1896.

Ten years later, they brought their

nine children to Southern Alberta.

In 1962, their grandson Don and

his wife Marlene moved onto land

Don’s father Carl had purchased

in 1932.

The two portions of the

McCann Farms operation require

different skill sets and techniques.

Four quarter-sections are owned and irrigated using pivots and

water-conserving drop tubes. This is quite a change, Marlene

says, from using ditching equipment and flooding the land,

which was the accepted practice years ago.

Don and Marlene’s son Todd farms several thousand leased

acres a bit west of the irrigated land, and practises direct seeding

and continuous cropping because the land is so dry. Todd grows

wheat, canola, barley, peas, and hay on this land. Two other sons,

Alan and Scott, work at careers away from the farm, but make a

point of coming back to help during the busy seasons.

At one time, the McCanns also operated a hog barn and a

small feedlot, but found the economics didn’t work on a small

scale. The growth in cattle-feeding operations in their area,

however, has provided a ready market for the farm’s hay, says

Marlene. “We have some recreational livestock,” she adds. “Our

granddaughter has a couple of horses and we have a couple of

donkeys.”

Although the price of irrigated land has risen so high

that some of the older families are gone, Marlene notes that

new people have moved into the community, often living

on a quarter-section while working at another job. She

cites the construction of the

new Readymade Community

Centre, on the site of the old

Readymade School, as an example

of co-operation between the

longstanding families of the

area and newer members of the

community.

The McCanns have been

involved in the Coaldale-area

community in many capacities,

both sporting and professional.

They have helped with fundraising for various causes, and

Marlene was at various times a County Councilor and chair of

the school board. She is also very involved in her church. Todd,

like his grandfather before him, is on the County Seed Cleaning

Co-op board.

“It’s just sort of what you do when you live in a community,”

says Marlene of the family’s record of service. She adds with a

laugh: “If somebody wants to know something, they come to the

families like ours that have been around a long time.”

16

Representing the Municipal District of Pincher Creek

MOWAT FAMILYCowley, Alberta

In 1907, George Edward Mowat came to Canada. Two years

later, he applied for a homestead 13 kilometres north of Cowley.

What made Mowat a bit different from most other homesteaders

at that time was his background. He wasn’t from agricultural

stock; he hadn’t even lived in a rural environment. He came

from London, at the time the largest city in the world, and his

previous work experience was in a bank. “He’d never even been

on a farm until he came out here,” says his son, also named

George.

The elder George Mowat spent many years working at other

ranches as he built his own operation. Along with cattle, he

also raised pigs and chickens. Today, the Mowat Family Ranch

is a cow-calf-yearling

operation with an average

of 450 cows grazing on

several thousand acres,

some of them leased and

some Forestry Reserve

land. Additionally, about

500 acres are devoted to

hay. And as the Mowat

family approaches its

100th anniversary on the

same piece of land, there’s

another celebration in the works — because the Mowats are the

2012 BMO Farm Family representing the Municipal District of

Pincher Creek.

It was during the younger George Mowat’s time at the helm

that the ranch became focused on the cattle business. “We

started out with Hereford cattle for a long time, but the boys

have pretty well gone to Angus or Angus-cross,” he says. “The

boys” are Bruce and Don, the sons of George and his wife Shirley.

Bruce and his wife Marianne ranch on the original home place,

while Don, his wife Donna, their son Justin and his wife Laura

and their family operate on land further to the north.

The Mowats haven’t always just had cattle on their ranch.

Like any true ranch, there were horses, too. “I rode four miles

to school,” George points out, adding that the children almost

grew up in the saddle. “They all learned to ride as soon as they

could walk,” says Shirley. Both can remember a time, not too

long ago, when cattle were driven, not trucked, into the hills to

graze for the summer.

“I’ve always been interested in history,” George says of his

quarter-century-plus involvement with the Heritage Acres Farm

Museum, where he is both a founding member and the first

past president. He was also

part of the local advisory

committee during the

construction of the

Oldman River Dam, and

helped to organize and

run the first 4-H beef club

in the Cowley-Lundbreck

area. Shirley has been a

member of the Livingstone

Ladies Club for 51 years.

Bruce continues the

tradition, too. He helped found the Livingstone landowners

group and is active in other community organizations. Don and

Donna participate in many shows and parades, including the

Stampede, with their big team of horses.

While George has concerns about the future of small family

operations in an age when agri-businesses seem to get bigger

and bigger, he says it means a lot that a fifth generation

of Mowats, Justin’s children, are growing up in the family

tradition.

17

Representing Special Area No. 4

REDEL FAMILYConsort, Alberta

The move away from the time-honoured technique of

summer-fallowing occurred at different times, and in different

ways, for many Alberta farmers. Barry Redel can remember the

exact moment the decision was made for his own family farm.

“In 1988, when I graduated from university, we came home

from the ceremonies in Edmonton and the soil north of the

house was blowing. I said, ‘That’s enough of that. I don’t want to

do that anymore.’ ”

The Redel family has lived on the farm nine kilometers north

of Consort since Barry’s grandfather, Art, homesteaded there in

1908. Since Art also brought his father to live on the farm, the

children of Barry and his

wife Selena are the fifth

generation on the land.

While the family has

worked the land for

100 years, Barry says

diversification will be

the key for the next

century. While “years

ago our rotation was

wheat on wheat on

wheat,” he notes, the

farm’s 2,000 acres are

now seeded in peas, canola, hard red spring wheat, and soft

white wheat. “The peas fix nitrogen, so we’ll grow hard red

spring on that to get the protein kick. We’ll have a legume, then

a cereal, then an oilseed and then a cereal again.”

There have been other changes in method and technique

as well, such as direct seeding and direct harvesting, and that

amounts to a very different way of farming that has Barry

enthused. “It’s done wonderful things for our soil. Water erosion

isn’t near the issue it used to be. We’ve been at this 103 years and

we’re kind of getting the hang of it.”

Over the generations, the Redel family has built quite a

resume of community involvement. Barry has served on the

Alumni Association for Olds College, the Dry Country Gas Co-op

and United Church boards, and has been active in the UFA,

Alberta Wheat Pool Young Farmers, Neutral Hills Community

Adult Learning and the Consort School Council. Selena is on the

Bullying and Family Violence Committee and has served on the

Consort Minor Sports Board. “I’ve backed off a little bit because

the kids, Lisa and Scott, are so busy. I suspect, once they’re

done, I’ll be looking for

something to do again,”

Barry admits.

This multi-

generational community

involvement, along

with their passion for

agriculture, makes the

Redel family the Special

Area No. 4 BMO Farm

Family for 2012.

Sometimes having

children around can provide a bit of perspective, Barry says. “I

said to my daughter, ‘I don’t get all this technology.’ She said,

‘You have GPS in the tractor that drives the tractor for you. You

have automatic boom shut-off that turns the boom on and off

when you’re driving the sprayer. You have a laptop in the cab

of the tractor so you can do record-keeping. You have a smart

phone to check the weather and get market updates. You’re

doing OK with technology.’ ”

basically — leave it in good shape for generations to come.”

18

Representing the Municipal District of Foothills No. 31

ROWLAND FAMILYHigh River, Alberta

There wasn’t a lot going on in Southern Alberta before the

railway arrived, but the Rowland family was here. According

to Phil Rowland, the CPR had only arrived in the Medicine

Hat area when his great-grandfather Arthur homesteaded

near Aldersyde in 1883. “I think the winter closed in on them,

and when they woke up in the spring they said, ‘I’m tired of

travelling,’ ” Phil jokes.

There are still family members on that original homestead,

but Phil’s outfit – Rowland Family Farms – is split between

two locations, one just northeast of Mazeppa where he was

raised, and the ranching operation west of Longview that was

started by his maternal

grandfather.

The base breed in

the Rowland herd of

several hundred mother

cows and grass cattle is

now Angus, and Phil’s

own stewardship of the

operation has seen some

changes made. “If you

have enough history,

maybe we can learn from

it and do something different in the future,” he says. “I think I

have my grandpa’s cow herd back. He was more holistic than we

were in between. I’m back to seeing what he saw in smaller cows

that can go year-round without much maintenance.”

On the crop side, which accounts for about a quarter of the

outfit’s acreage, Phil concentrates on feed barley, rye and forage

for the cattle, using minimum till. “I’ve shied away from GMO

crops,” he remarks. “It kind of suits our holistic view on life. Our

big thing is to use strategies to make the grazing season longer.

We don’t put up a lot of feed in bale form. The cows are now the

harvesters, instead of me.”

Farming wasn’t the first item on Phil’s career agenda. He

spent time in the oilpatch overseas, and started the Okotoks

Flight Centre. After marrying Pam and moving to the farm near

Mazeppa, he began to concentrate on farming full-time. The

couple have three children — Miranda, Andrea and Troy — who

help out at busy times.

“Both my grandpa and my dad were school trustees,” Phil

says, but his own community involvement runs more to

agriculturally related bodies. He is President of the Western

Stock Growers’ Association, a member of the Land Agents’

Advisory Committee, and a board member with the Southern

Alberta Land Trust,

Livestock Identification

Services, and the

Foothills Forage and

Grazing Association. “We

all need to take our turn,

step up, and give back

what we have to give

back and do our part

for our community,” he

insists. The Rowlands’

holistic beliefs, in terms

of both the land and the

community, are a large reason for their selection as the 2012

BMO Farm Family for the Municipal District of Foothills No. 31.

Located only about 20 minutes south of Calgary, Phil has seen

quite a change in the makeup of the area. “Newer members of

our community on smaller plots of land add a whole different

flavour to our community,” he says. “We’re not stuck in our 1983

paradigm, where we only associate with older members of the

community.”

19

Representing Rocky View County

ROWNEY FAMILYMadden, Alberta

There have been Rowneys in the Madden area since 1927. That

was the year William Rowney, originally from England, moved

from the Tilley area. The half-section, two miles south and a

mile east of Madden, that he bought in 1945 is still “the home

place” for the family. William Rowney’s passion for farming

is carried on by his sons, who are the 2012 BMO Farm Family

Award winners representing Rocky View County.

Don’t look for a fancy title on the mixed grain operation,

though. “It’s just Dave and Dennis Rowney. We work together.

We’re brothers and we just work that way. We know what has to

be done,” says Dennis.

It isn’t just for farming

that the Madden area knows

the Rowney brothers. Dennis

operated a school bus for

30 years and has spent the

same amount of time with

the Madden Fire Department,

of which he is now Chief of

Station 53. Dave is the Fire

Department Treasurer and

has been with the organization

for 25 years. Dennis is also

involved with the Madden Ag Society, and both brothers have

been active in local sporting bodies. “You don’t want to see your

community dry up and blow away,” Dennis says. “If nobody

volunteered, it would go away. You have to get involved to keep

it going.”

Although their father operated a small dairy, as well as the

mixed grain operation, the brothers now concentrate on their

crops. There have been a lot of changes since they assumed the

helm when their father died in 1972. “It’s a big effort to keep

up,” Dennis explains. “Everything’s going computerized. I’m

of a generation that didn’t really get into the computers, but I

have to learn it.” His wife, Debra, he says, does a lot of the farm’s

computer work.

“We’re trying to get into the zero till/minimum till operation,

so we had to get some updated equipment,” Dennis says. The

increase in costs has been another major change for farmers to

weather, he points out. “When I bought my first piece of land, I

wondered when I’d ever get out of debt – and that was only forty

thousand dollars. A half-ton (pickup) is worth that, now.”

The six-quarter parcel that

the brothers farm is seeded

about a third in canola and

two-thirds in barley. “We

went out of canola for a few

years because we couldn’t get

the yields, but now they’ve

come out with different

varieties, so we’ve gotten back

into it,” says Dennis. “We’re

trying to emphasize more the

malt end of the barley, but it

doesn’t always go that way.”

Another generation of Rowneys is showing some interest,

Dennis says. Although his son Brad works full-time off the

farm, “he helps out where he can. We’re trying to get him into

it.” Working with his brother and his son on the same land his

father worked means a lot to Dennis: “It’s a sense of pride. It’s

an accomplishment. Yes, it is.”

20

Representing the County of Warner No. 5

SCHMITT FAMILYMilk River, Alberta

It took Cameron Schmitt’s great-grandfather Peter Schmitt

a lot of looking before he found the place he wanted to settle

down — but once he found that place, he put down some pretty

deep roots. Born in Germany, Peter first travelled to Minnesota,

and then to North Dakota, before arriving in Alberta in 1908.

The family has been in the Masinasin area, east of Milk River,

ever since. More than a century later, the Schmitt family is the

2012 BMO Farm Family Award winner for the County of Warner

No. 5.

Sometimes, Cameron says, he thinks about those earlier

generations. “When you’re out there early in the morning or late

at night, you wonder what

they thought. You see their

old trees and you think

about the toils they went

through. They had it a lot

tougher than we have.”

In 1987, after taking

a degree in Agricultural

Economics at the University

of Alberta, Cameron and

his wife Janelle took over

the farm. Since 1994, the

Schmitts’ 5,500 acres, half owned and half leased, has seen

direct seeding and been continuously cropped. “The whole

prairies are chem-fallowed and continuously cropped, now,”

Cameron observes. “This year it seems like it blew from about

September to April. Had it been the 1930s, I’m sure the ditches

would have been full of soil — but there was no problem at all

with blowing soil.”

The Schmitts grow durum, barley and winter wheat, rotating

with oilseeds, most recently canola, pulses (currently yellow

peas) and forage seeds. The forage seeds — various types of

brome and crested wheat grasses — are what make the Schmitt

operation a little different. Some are sold to the U.S. through a

local processor, while Cameron markets the rest in Canada. He

admits it was a better business when the exchange rate favoured

the American dollar. The forage seed business, he adds, “kind of

spreads out our harvest.” On the other hand, “Sometimes we’ll

sit on seeds for four years. It’s pretty hit or miss. You have to

wait for the highs.”

Both Cameron and Janelle have been extremely active in the

Milk River area community. Cameron has volunteered with

Conservation 2000, the

United Church, the Milk

River East Water Co-op, and

the Milk River Ag Society.

Janelle teaches at the Milk

River Elementary School, is

a member of the Erie Rivers

High School booster club,

and is the secretary for the

local recreation board. Their

two sons, Clayton and Rylan,

have kept them busy with

hockey, baseball, and 4-H.

“If you want something to happen, you have to get involved,”

Cameron says. “Farms are two and three times bigger than they

used to be, and there’s a lot fewer people in rural communities.”

It’s too soon to tell if their boys will take up farming, Cameron

says. “When you’ve been doing it for a hundred-and-some-

years, it’s good to keep the ball rolling. They have to decide to

want to do it, but you want the opportunity to be there.”

21

Representing Wheatland County

TOWER FAMILYGleichen, Alberta

One of the trickiest issues to manage in any business is the

question of succession. The Tower family, the 2012 BMO Farm

Family representing Wheatland County, has passed the family

farm from father to son no fewer than three times. “There’s a

time to work and a time to move over,” says Terry Tower. “It’s a

nice transition to get to be the hired man.”

Addison Tower Jr. came to Canada in 1905 after his father was

killed by a tornado back home in Nebraska. The next year, he

brought his mother and sister up to join him and they filed on a

homestead a few kilometres north and west of Gleichen. He was

succeeded by his son Richard,

who passed it on to his son

Terry, whose son Curtis farms

it now.

The farms was officially

titled Tower Ranches in

1973, when it was still both a

cow-calf and a mixed grains

operation. In 2008, the

decision was made to sell out

of the cattle business when

an arrangement was made

with a neighbour who had a

well-established herd. “He didn’t like farming and I didn’t like

cattle,” Terry explains. “We rented his farmland and he rented

our pasture and hay land — and we were both happy.”

The Towers have about 2,500 acres in crops, divided more

or less equally among wheat, barley and canola. “Basically,

we’re totally dryland farming,” says Terry, who followed the

normal practice of summer-fallowing half his land until his

son returned from school. “We switched over to no-till farming,

and I’ll give my son Curtis credit for that. I must admit the

continuous cropping has paid off immensely. We have no soil

erosion, which we used to have big problems with — especially

in wet years. The soils are mellower and retain moisture better

than they ever did.”

Terry and his wife Brenda, who also hails from a farm

family dating back over a century, have been very active in the

Gleichen-and-area communities. Terry is past president of

the Agriculture Society, Arena Board and High School Rodeo

Association, past secretary of the Lions Club, and past master

of the Masonic Lodge. He also

helped found the Gleichen

Rural Fire Department, and

is a member of the Royal

Canadian Legion. Brenda

has been involved in 4-H

and active with several

educational bodies and her

church. She is the secretary

of the Gleichen and District

Fall Fair Committee. Curtis

is a member of the Lions

Club, and is a director of the

Strathmore Seed Cleaning

Plant. Both he and his wife Brandi keep very busy with the

activities of their five children.

There is a lot of satisfaction to be had in life on the farm,

Terry says. “I was fortunate. I had the opportunity to work in the

city after I graduated from high school. My Dad said, ‘There has

to be something you’d rather do than farm.’ After four years in

the city, I decided I’d rather be on the farm. All we can hope is

that the economy and life let us progress.”

22

Representing Cardston County

WEBSTER FAMILYMountain View, Alberta

The cattle business has seen some big changes in recent

decades, but big changes aren’t anything new for the

Webster family, the 2012 BMO Farm Family Award recipients

representing Cardston County. In fact, arguably the biggest

change the family ever saw was the establishment of the

Webster Family Ranch in 1894.

Back in Star Valley, Wyoming, the Websters were miners.

After losing a brother underground, William Webster set out in

search of a change. He found what he was looking for a couple of

miles west of Mountain View, Alta., and established his ranch.

“The ironic thing was,

they’d work the land spring,

summer and fall, and go to

Lethbridge and work in the

coal mines in the winter

to have enough money to

live on,” explains William’s

great-grandson Barry.

In 1984, Barry and wife

Laura bought the ranch from

Barry’s father Grant and

began to grow the business.

At its peak, the operation

occupied 480 owned acres and 3,000 more leased for a herd

of 500 cow/calf pairs as well as a herd of purebred Charolais. A

battle with cancer adjusted Barry’s outlook on life, and the cow/

calf herd has been downsized to about 300 head.

“I don’t need to work quite as hard as I have for the last 28

years. I’ve been doing it for as long as I remember,” he says. “It’s

a tremendous way of life. In calving season, although it’s hectic

and you get tired, the miracle of new life is always amazing to

me.”

As busy as the ranch keeps them, the Websters find time for

their community. “Helping in the community is a way of life

in rural Alberta,” Barry says. “My father and my grandfather

both ranched and taught school. Laura has taught school all

our married life.” Barry’s educational involvement has been

pretty impressive, too. Four years on the parent council of

the Mountain View school — and then six years on the school

board, two of them as chairman. As well, Barry was a UFA

representative for the Cardston and Pincher Creek areas

from 1996 to 2008, when he was elected to the UFA’s board of

directors, upon which he

still serves.

A fifth generation of

Websters — Barry and

Laura’s children Angelyn,

Cindy and Curtis — grew

up actively involved in

the ranch. The girls and

their husbands still make

an effort to help out when

they are needed. Although

Curtis is employed full-

time off the ranch, “he

helps me out quite a bit. Evenings and weekends, he’s always

out helping me do things,” Barry says.

The family has a strong attachment to the ranch. “It’s

definitely a respect for the land and the efforts that previous

generations have made to make it what it is today,” says Barry.

“My roots are pretty deep.

“It would take something severe,” he adds, “to get me to part

with this land.”

23

Representing the Municipal District of Ranchland No. 66

WIDEMAN FAMILYNanton, Alberta

The name on the mailbox might change, but the family

working the ranch often has a long and deep connection to that

piece of property going back generations. The Wideman family

of Mapiatow Ranch Ltd., the 2012 BMO Farm Family Award

winner representing the Municipal District of Ranchland No.

66, is an excellent example.

The Wideman spread, 27 kilometres straight west of Nanton,

was started by Rod Macleay from Quebec’s Eastern Townships

in 1901. Now run by the Wideman family, fourth-generation

descendants of Rod Macleay through

his daughter Dorothy and her

daughter Betty, some of the practices

in use in today’s cow-calf-yearling

operation date back to practices

followed by Macleay well over a

century ago.

In the early summer, many of the

cattle are moved west into Forestry

Reserves in the hills, leaving the

grass on the home pastures to

grow in order to be used for winter

pasture. Some tame grass is used for

hayland, and some spraying is done

for weed control, but efforts are made to keep the range close to

its natural state.

Roxy Wideman, Rod Macleay’s great-granddaughter, is

President of the Rocky Mountain Forest Range Association. “If

you’ve got good grass, if you take care of your range, that’s where

wildlife ends up,” she says. “A really good indicator that you’re

taking care of your watershed and your range is how much

wildlife likes being there.”

While Roxy looks after managing the livestock end of things,

her father Glenn and brother Ross are busy with haying, feeding

and fencing. Another brother, Grant, helps out when he can,

and Roxy’s mom Betty does whatever is needed. The seven

children who represent the fifth generation of the family are

still too young to get significantly involved just yet.

The heavy involvement of the female side of the family,

according to Roxy, shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows the

area’s history. “The girls are as active as the boys,” she says. “I

don’t know if that’s true in a lot of places, but it is in this west

country with other families as well,

which is kind of neat to see.”

The family was a founding

member of the Chinook Country

Cattlemen, continues to be active

in the local Ag Society, and supports

local rodeo events. Ross, Grant,

and Roxy have all been involved

in numerous local sporting bodies

over the years.

“This family seems to be big on

staying in agriculture and going

forward,” remarks Roxy. “There’s a

big foundation in our family history. It gets in your blood — all

the old clichés. If you want to make big money, it’s not where

you’re going to stay. We learned from our parents and our

grandparents how to do what we’re doing now. Every generation

has its own ideas. All the old ones aren’t bad, and all the new

ones aren’t good. When you’re in a family business like this one,

your business plan is kind of 75 years long. It’s different from

renting land and figuring out how to maximize your return.

“One of the biggest challenges,” she adds, “is being successful,

putting the best product forward, and being good stewards of

the land.”

24

2011Cardston County: Clayton & Senta Gast

County of Forty Mile: P Ridge Farms; Ken & Kim Kultgen

County of Lethbridge: Triangle 7 Farms; Eugene Wauters

County of Newell: Niznik Farms; Bruce & Jodi Niznik

County of Warner: K Palmer Farms; Keith & Lynne Palmer

Kneehill County: Arda Farms; Jay & Lorena Davis

MD of Foothills: Haralta Ranches Ltd.; Jesse & Sarah Hari

MD of Pincher Creek: Elkhorn Stock Ranch; Hilton & Alta Pharis

MD of Ranchland: L4L Ranches Ltd.; John & Donna Keeley

MD of Willow Creek: Lamb Farms; Stan & Arlene Lamb

Mountain View County: Grandview Acres Farm; Larry & Grace Mullen

Rocky View County: Walsh Farms; Harley Walsh

Special Area #2: Rafter T Cattle Company Ltd.; Tom & Lorna Osadczuk

Special Area #3: Peacock Farms; Bruce & Karen Peacock

Special Area #4: Webbalta Ranches Ltd.; Kenneth, Vivian, Winston & Darlene Webb

Starland County: John & Nadine Duncalf

Vulcan County: Lindstedt Farms Ltd.; Mark Lindstedt

Wheatland County: Dwayne & Mary Marshman

PAST WINNERS

25

Photo Credit: Glen Wideman

2010Country 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

2009Cardston County: Bectell Ranch; Jeff & Elizabeth Bectell

County of Forty Mile: Thurston Family Farm; Rick & Wendy Thurston

County of Lethbridge: Schuld Farms Ltd.; Peter & Alice and Ed & Chris Schuld

County of Newell: Loewen Family; Dan & Marg Loewen

County of Warner: Losey Farms Ltd.; Alan & Diane Losey

Kneehill County: R-Jay Farms; Rita & James Main

MD of Foothills: Jeffrey/Egeland Family; Susan Jeffrey & Mark Egeland

MD of Pincher Creek: Cyr Family; Clarence & Helen Cyr

MD of Ranchland: Bluebird Valley Ranch Ltd.; Cameron & Jolayne Gardner

MD of Taber: Tri R Farms; Tim & Patricia Redekop

MD of Willow Creek: Sun Prairie Organic; Neall & Llizabet Coulson

Mountain View County: Jackson Family; Joe & Joanne Jackson

Rocky View County: Scott Stock Farm; Earl & Debra Scott

Special Area #2: Malaka Ranches; Sylvester & Yvonne Malaka

Special Area #3: Caskey Family; Graham & Marlene Caskey

Special Area #4: Murphy Land & Cattle Ltd; Robert & Rosemary Murphy

Starland County: Richmond Ranch; Jim & Stephanie Richmond

Vulcan County: Bexte Family; Nadine & Hubert Bexte

Wheatland County: Risdon Farming Ltd.; Norma-Jean & Doug Risdon

PAST WINNERS

26

2008Cardston County: Martin, Sheila, Keeley & Braeden Hillmer

County of Forty Mile: Marlene (Ray) and Sons

County of Lethbridge: Lloyd, Connie & Ryan Mercer

County of Newell: Barg Farms, Fred & Doug Barg

County of Warner: 409490 Alberta Ltd, Bill & Paula Kaupp

Kneehill County: Rowbottom Farms, Richard & Joe Rowbottom

MD of Foothills: Humfrey Farms Ltd, Bruce & Norma Humfrey

MD of Pincher Creek: M & H Ranch and Feedlot Inc, Harry & Marilyn Welsch

MD of Ranchland: Don & Donna Mowat

MD of Taber: Gouw Quality Onions, Casey Sr., Casey Jr. & Kyle Gouw

MD of Willow Creek: Husted Farms, Larry & Theresa, Tom & Florence Husted

Mountain View County: Mastin Seeds. Bob Mastin

Rocky View County: Farquharson Farms, Don & Marlene Farquharson

Special Area #2: 2L Ranch, Delbert & Elanor Humfrey

Special Area #3: Hern Ranches, Jim & Carol Hern

Starland County: Reed Farms, Walter, Roxie, Jason, & Goldie Reed

Vulcan County: HP Hansen Farms Ltd, Henry & Christine Hansen

Wheatland County: Rocky Ridge Land and Cattle, Lorne & Noreen Stewart

2007Cardston County: Craig & Mary Ellen Smith

County of Lethbridge: Witdouck Farms Ltd., Brian, Calvin & Dale Witdouck

County of Newell: Rommens Farms Ltd., Wendell Rommens

County of Warner: R. J. McKenzie Farms, Ron, Joan & Mike McKenzie

Cypress County: Franz Land & Cattle Co., Gary Franz

Kneehill County: Sorenson Farms Ltd., Murray & Ingrid Sorenson

MD of Foothills: McPherson Ranch, Hugh McPherson

MD of Pincher Creek: Windswept Ranch, Fred & Dierdre Schoening

MD of Ranchland: Nelson Ranch, Einar & Judy Nelson

MD of Taber: Midland Colony, Jon Kleinsasser & Family

MD of Willow Creek: Jack & Colleen De Kok & Family

Mountain View County: Bird Family Farm, Grant Bird

Rocky View County: Cairns Feed Yard, Larry & Joan, DJ & Pam Cairns

Special Area #2: R & L Holdings, Rick & Donna Laughlin

Special Area #3: Whispering Sand Farm, James Newton

Starland County: Leonhardt Farms, Ron & Helen Leonhardt

Wheatland County: Daryl & Connie Lausen

PAST WINNERS

27

2006Cardston County: Nish Farms, Wayne & Debbie Nish & Jenni & Burke Nish

County of Forty Mile: Van Tryp Brothers Ltd., the Van Tryp Families

County of Lethbridge: Keujer Farms, Bernny & Sandi Keujer & Family

County of Newell: Kokay Farms Ltd., David & Kathlyn Peltzer

County of Warner: Nick D’Agnone Farms Ltd., John & Shelia D’Agnone

Cypress County: Fawn Creek Ranching, Geoff & Melanie Watson

Kneehill Couty: Bates Farms, Del & Sharon Bates & Families

MD of Foothills: Prairie Rock Farms, Robert G. & Carrie Jackson & Family

MD of Pincher Creek: Twin Butte Simmentals, Tony & Lorraine Bruder & Family

MD of Ranchland: Bateman Ranch, William & Pat Bateman

MD of Taber: Welsh Family Farm, James, Cindy & Jason Welsh

Mountain View County: Meadow Lea Farms, Gary & Kathy & Kelly Richards

Rocky View County: Lamb Cattle Co. Ltd., John, Kim, Nicole & Dustin Lamb

Special Areas #2: Bar J Bar Ranch Ltd., Gene & Mary Johnson & Family

Special Areas #3: Wagstaff Land & Cattle, Barry & Juanita Wagstaff

Starland County: Don & Sherry Bitz and Family

Vulcan County: Bushell Farms Ltd., Doug & Sharleen Bushell & Family

Wheatland County: Sevcik Simmental Ranch, Marvin & Donna Sevcik

MD of Willow Creek: Echo Springs Ranching Co. Ltd., Bill & Dave Massie & Families

2005Cardston County: Bullock Land & Livestock, William & Sylvia Bullock & Families

County of Forty Mile: XL Bar Ranch Ltd. Terry Lane & Families

County of Newell: Steinbach Ranching, Bernard & Ruth Steinbach

County of Warner: Pittman Brothers, Charles Pittman Family

Cypress County: Biemans Farms, Ken Biemans & Family

Kneehill County: Kubinec Farms, Pat Kubinec & Family

MD of Foothills: Robertson Ranch, Alex Robertson & Family

MD of Pincher Creek: The Bloomin Inn, Francis & Colleen Cyr & Family

MD of Ranchland: Webster Ranch, Arthur & Betty Webster & Family

MD of Taber: De Groot Farms, John & Sandra De Groot & Family

MD of Willow Creek: Bar S Ranch, Clay & Avril Chattaway & Family

Mountain View County: Notley Farms, Wayne & Thelma Notley

Rocky View County: Hansons Ranches, Ron & Irene Hanson & Family

Special Area #2: Housch Family Farm, Rick & Wilda Housch

Special Area #3: Peterson Farms, Merlin & Clara Peterson

Special Area #4: Hadwin Cattle Company, Doug & Joan Hadwin & Family

Starland County: Michie Farms Ltd., George Michie & Family

Vulcan County: Clemalta Farms, Bob & Beverley Clemens

Wheatland County: Corbiell Herefords, Armand & Mary Corbiell

PAST WINNERS

28

2004Cardston County: R.C. Bust Farms

County of Forty-Mile: Harty Farms Ltd.

County of Newell: Armstrong Ranches

County of Warner: Hierath Farms

Cypress County: Flat Valley Farm

Kneehill County: E & D Hastie Farms

MD of Foothills: Newman Farms Ltd.

MD of Pincher Creek: McClelland Family Ranch

MD of Ranchland: Cross Six Ranch

MD of Taber: Oseen Farms

MD of Willow Creek: Gray Farm

Mountain View County: Israelson Farms

Rocky View County: 7 Y Bar Farms

Special Area #2: Stringer Ranches

Special Area #3: Camden Farms Ltd.

Special Area #4: Ron Letniak Farm

Starland County: Hoover Farm

Vulcan County: Benci Seed Farms

Wheatland County : Hilton Acres Ltd.

2003Cardston County: Bo-Mar Farms

County of Forty Mile: Schusslet Brothers

County of Lethbridge: Nolan Cattle Co, Ltd.

County of Newell: Lazy A Farms Ltd.

County of Warner: Hwy 52 Beef Producers Ltd.

Cypress County: Aberle Farms

Kneehill County: Penner Land & Cattle Inc.

MD of Foothills: Giles Ranch

MD of Ranchland: Mountain Park Ranch

MD of Taber: Geremia Farms

Mountain View County: Pochapsky Farms

Rocky View County: Cairns Feedlot Ltd.

Special Area #2: Gould Ranching Ltd.

Special Area #4: Rooke Ranching Ltd.

Starland County: Wilson Grande Coulee Ranch

Vulcan County: Triple E Farms

Wheatland County: Ostergard’s Seed Farm Ltd.

2002Cardston County: Hansen Ranches

County of Forty Mile: Murray Lake Ranching

County of Lethbridge: Tokariuk Family

County of Newell: Burton Farms

County of Warner: Wilde Bros. Farms Ltd.

Cypress County: Yanke Ranches

Kneehill County: Stankievech Farms

MD of Foothills: Roseburn Ranches Ltd.

MD of Pincher Creek: Ricjard & Stephanie Hardy

MD of Ranchland: Rocking P Ranch

MD of Taber: Nakamura Farms Ltd.

MD of Willow Creek: Bar-RZ Polled Herefords

Mountain View County: West 40 Farms Ltd. & Richview Farms Ltd.

Special Area #2: Day Lenfesty

Starland County: Adams Land & Laivestock Ltd.

Vulcan County: Twin Valley Farm & Ranch

Wheatland County: Pat Cammaert Farm

2001Cardston County: Bar Double M Angus

County of Forty Mile: Edmond & Ruby Hirch

County of Lethbridge: Fletcher Farms

County of Newell: Fabian Seed Farms

County of Ranchland: Burke Creek Ranch Ltd.

County of Warner: Doenz Ranches Ltd.

Cypress County: V & V Farms

Kneehill County: Bell Farms

MD of Foothills: Schaal Ranch

MD of Pincher Creek: Cairnstone Farms

Mountain View County: Poplar View Ranch

Rocky View County: R. Havens Cattle Co.

Special Area #2: Rockyhill Ranch

Special Area #4: Deagle Cattle

Starland County: MDM Aqua Farms

PAST WINNERS

28

2000Cardston County: Dave & Kelly Newton

County of Forty Mile: Bruce & Carla Robertson

County of Lethbridge: Neveridle Farms Ltd.

County of Newell: Ernest & Anne Walde

County of Warner: G & N Farms Ltd.

Cypress County: Short Grass Ranches

Kneehill County: Arn’s Brae Farms

MD of Foothills: Wilson & Marlyne Sutherland

MD of Pincher Creek: Utopia Ranch

MD of Ranchland: T Over V Ranch

MD of Taber: Brian & Evelyn Conrad

Mountain View County: MacFarquhar Farming

Rocky View County: Gordon & Chris Bishop

Starland County: Brian & Jill Clayholt

1999County of Forty Mile: Dykshoorn Farms

County of Lethbridge: Groenenboom Land & Cattle

County of Warner: Baker Land & Cattle Co. Ltd.

Cypress County: Brian & Betty Kirschenman

Kneehill County: Sunterra Farms

MD of Foothills: Ball Ranches

MD of Pincher Creek: Jenkins Lazy U Ranch

MD of Ranchland: Stan Wilson & Family

MD of Taber: Stamp’s Select Seeds

Mountain View County: Innislake Dairy Farm

Rocky View County: Wooliams N2N Ranches

Special Area #4: Murphy Ranch

Starland County: Morrin Corner Bison Ranch

Vulcan County: Doug & Mary Anne Stanko

Wheatland County: John & Allison Sander

1998County of Forty Mile: Jim & Anne Geldrich

County of Lethbridge: Chapman Farms

County of Newell: South Slope Feeders Ltd.

County of Warner: Sleepy Hollow Seeds Ltd.

MD of Foothills: C.R. Longson & Sons

MD of Pincher Creek: Antelope Butte Ranch Ltd.

MD of Ranchland: Nelson Creek Farms

MD of Taber: Huvanaars Seed Farms Ltd.

MD of Willow Creek: Morkin Farms Ltd.

Rocky View County: Winkler Farms

Starland County: Dan & Elaine Moe

Vulcan County: H & H Farms Ltd.

Wheatland County: L4 Ranches

1997County of Forty Mile: Elroy & Edith O’Hara

County of Lethbridge: F. Takeda & Sons Farm Ltd.

County of Newell: Pickett Ranching Ltd.

County of Warner: Doenz Farms Ltd.

Cypress County: Barry & Sandy Schorr

MD of Foothills: Northridge Farms Ltd.

MD of Pincher Creek: Bar 15 Simmentals & Stevick Angus Ranch

MD of Ranchland: Mount Sentinel Ranch Ltd

MD of Taber: Randy & Anne Luehr

Mountain View County: Remitall Cattle Co.

Rocky View County: Grandview Ag. Ltd.

Starland County: Pearson Farms

Wheatland County: Spring-Air Canada Ltd.

1996County of Forty Mile: Kelly & Judy Van Ham

County of Newell: Doerksen Farms

Cypress County: Keith & Rhonda Reesor

MD of Foothills: Callahan Farms

Rocky View County: Bell-Mor Farms

Starland County: R & D Farms

Wheatland County: Indian Springs Farms Ltd.

PAST WINNERS

29

SCHEDULE OF EVENTSJuly 9, 2012. Palomino Room, BMO Centre

9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.Registration

Champagne and Orange Juice Reception

10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.Greetings from the Alberta Government

Greetings from the Calgary Stampede

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

- Bill Hogg, Vice President, Alberta/Northwest Territories Commercial District

Awards Presentation

Family Photograph Session

12:30 p.m. Closing Remarks - Darrel Janz

1:30 p.m.Rodeo Performance

2012 BMO FARM FAMILY AWARDS

Master of Ceremonies - Darrel Janz