Local farm families honoured

Janet Kanters
Times Contributor

 

Three Wheatland County families who have farmed the same land for 100 years or more were honoured with the Government of Alberta’s Century Farm and Ranch Awards last week in Rosebud.
The Garnett family of Carseland, the Hanson family of Strathmore and the Christensen family of Standard were honoured at a gala event at the Rosebud Centre for the Arts, with various dignitaries and politicians in attendance.
Recipients of the Century Farm and Ranch Award receive a bronze plaque to commemorate this significant milestone. A total of 47 families are being recognized across the province this year.
Both the Garnett farm (Garnett Farms Ltd.) and the Hanson farm (Bar H Farm) were established in 1915, while the Christensen farm (South Valley Farms) was established in 1914. Since 1993, almost 1,600 families have received Century Farm and Ranch Awards.
Agriculture is the province’s largest renewable industry, with exports valued at more than $9 billion annually. There are more than 43,000 farms in Alberta, totalling 50.5 million acres.