OUR STORY
First Gen Farmers, But Not Really
Our farm is deeply rooted by the farmers that came before us. But, they came upon some bad luck and hard times and no longer had a farm to hand down to us, so here we are, starting over from scratch. Literally.
When we got our ranch it was plain dirt. Overgrown trees. Old fencing that needed removed.
We started with nothing.
Everything we have, we had to work for. Kind of like our ancestors.
We often live by the motto, "Make do, or do without."
People thought we were nuts to pursue this path, but it's all we ever wanted and it's what we continue to sacrifice for.
When nobody believed in us, we had to believe in ourselves.
We hope you enjoy following along on our journey.
ABOUT BURNT RIVER RANCH
Homesteading is our passion.
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We follow the traditional farming practices handed down to us from our grandparents, while also implementing new ideas and technologies.
Our ranch is situated in northern Alberta, inside the beautiful Saddle Hills County, approx 1 hour North of Grande Prairie.
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Our mission is to provide our local community with ethically-raised products from our farm; free-range eggs and, grass-fed pork & poultry.
We also breed UKC registered Sarplaninac dogs, from working, proven, extensively health tested and genetic tested parents.
Lastly, we breed hardy Haflinger and Haflinger cross horses; and dairy cattle well-suited as family milk cows.
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We also enjoy educating the public about what we are doing with our YouTube channel and other social media pages.
Pastured Poultry & Pork
We are big believers in allowing all of our animals to live the most natural lifestyle possible.
In the summer months, our poultry and pigs are rotationally grazed in both the pasture and the forest while being supplemented with grain. They live a stress-free life while they enjoy exploring, scratching or rooting for insects, roots, forage etc.
This also helps to reduce parasite loads and helps to prevent manure build-up or over-grazing, while naturally fertilizing the soil around the farm.
Haflinger Horses
I grew up with quarter horses and paints, and became tired and frustrated with horses with poor feet, bad bone structure and unreliable soundness.
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Haflingers stole my heart with their beauty and versatility. Their kind, tolerant temperaments come in a strong, durable package, with excellent feet to seal the deal. These were the horse for me!
But Haflingers only come in one colour; chestnut. Now I love a colourful horse like many others do, but without the conformation issues. So in comes the Gypsy Vanners. These dreamy horses cross well on our Haflingers, and add a splash of colour to the foals, without compromising the longevity or soundness of the horse.
Good conformation and good personality is most important, no matter the colour, but we love seeing what we get!
Sarplaninac Dogs
With a farm located in a remote, high predator location, we needed a good livestock guardian dog to protect our livestock (and ourselves).
After much research, we decided on Sarplaninacs. They are incredibly courageous, tenacious dogs with intense guardian instincts. Despite our extreme climate, they are not phased one bit. They fit the bill perfectly for what we needed.
We felt passionate about preserving this special breed, so we decided to get into breeding them, and ensuring this working dog has a place in our Canadian landscape.
Dairy Cattle
The possibilities of things to make with your own dairy is so incredible, but the milk you buy in the grocery store is so heavily processed and changed. Access to raw milk in our country is extremely gate kept so...
In 2023, we purchased our first family milk cow, Penelope. She opened the door for us into the world of homemade dairy products, and all the wonderful and time consuming activities and knowledge that revolve around keeping your own dairy cattle.
Since acquiring her, we have grown our herd to include standard Jerseys, miniature Jerseys, and Jersey crosses, as well as a few beef cows.
We aim to mostly breed cattle that will be suitable as family milk cows.