Alberta Open Farm Days 2021

Alberta Open Farm Days runs each August and it remains one of our favourite events of the year. First, we review the website to see which farms are participating. Then we decide what sounds interesting. The tricky part is finding farms that are at least in the same direction from Calgary. This year the properties we picked were north of the city. We recommend choosing three or four stops. Sometimes, depending on timing, you might not make it to the last choice.

The Yak Ranch

First up this year, The Yak Ranch located near Caroline. This is approximately 90 minutes from Calgary on Highway 22 north of Cochrane.

Jennifer Rath, the owner of The Yak Ranch began raising these long-haired ox-like mammals six years ago. Originally, she wanted to raise bison, but the cost was prohibitive. A contact at Farm Credit Canada (FCC) suggested she might try raising yaks instead.

Jenn caught a lucky break when a couple from British Columbia wanted to retire and sell their herd. They had registered genetics and were selling at a great price. She jumped at the opportunity and owned the yaks before she had land to put them on.

Yaks

The Yak Ranch is now home to approximately 150 yaks, and several alpacas, on two different properties. Jennifer will soon move her ranch closer to Edmonton where she has purchased 320 acres. She looks forward to having her animals on one property and living in a place where land prices are more favourable.

When we arrived at her ranch, the sky was overcast with smoke from the forest fires in BC. We were disappointed with this because the day before was blue-sky clear and much better for pictures. However, we didn’t let this curb our enthusiasm.

We parked our vehicle. The fenced land in front of us was uneven with hills and valleys complete with a muddy pond. One of the first things we learned was that yaks are very fast and agile creatures.

Originally domesticated in Tibet, they live throughout the Himalayan region of south-central Asia and Mongolia. They can climb up to 6,100 m (20,000 ft) altitude over steep mountainsides with loose rocks and they have the lung capacity three times that of a cow.

We witnessed the babies bouncing around with glee. They ventured down to the pond to get a drink, get dirty and then climbed the steep embankment out with ease.

In the middle of the pond was Pete. An eight-year-old bull who weighed 725 kg (1600 lbs). Pete has a skirt of hair that hangs to the ground like a Cocker Spaniel in show-ready condition. When he exited the pond, as agile as the calves, we noticed the rest of the herd gave Pete a wide berth when he started to graze.

Jennifer raises yaks for meat, breeding, fibre, and pets.

Meat

The yaks are grass fed and antibiotic free. Yak meat is low in cholesterol and saturated fat. It’s good for your heart. Some say it is healthier than skinless chicken and most fish. It is very lean like venison or bison. Some think it is juicier and sweeter. It is dark red meat best cooked to medium-rare.

Jennifer has a store set up where you can purchase steaks, jerky and other yak products. See their Facebook page.

‘Quiet’ Breeding Stock

Jennifer specializes in ‘quiet’ breeding stock to sell (quiet vs. wild/mean animals). The benefit of raising quiet stock is that it makes it easier to care for the animals. Yaks are food-oriented. Jennifer pail trains them as heifers giving them a little bit of grain. This makes them easier to work with and keeps them manageable when they get out or are sick. The younger they are when you start working with them, the gentler they are.

Fibre

There is a good market for fibre from yaks. It is very soft, and some use the fibre as an alternative to cashmere in the US. Tame animals are key when you need to brush them for fibre. Jennifer says it’s a labour of love and only a few of her stock are used for this purpose. The best fibre comes from the yearlings. Big bulls like Pete do not have fibre.

Alpacas

Alpacas are camelids (from the camel family). Jennifer raises them primarily as pets although she does also sell their fibre. They are shaved once a year in the spring, when cold temperatures are finished. We found that once they heard the crunch of the food bag, they were happy to come feed out of our hands.

Mr. Moo

We were delighted to meet Mr. Moo. This eight-year-old bull is very friendly. He was happy to have his nose scratched and to be hand fed pellets (the size of wine corks). Mr. Moo was in a pen by himself. When we enquired, we found out that he is a fence crawler. Jennifer found out after she bought this bull that he liked to hook his horns under the bottom of a fence and lift – easily destroying the fence. Mr. Moo got into another bulls’ area and got beat up. He is healed up now, and in our opinion, makes a great ambassador for a day like Alberta Open Farm Days. Mr. Moo was the highlight of our visit.

Fun facts:

Yaks hate summer but love winter – (and survive to -40C)
In Tibetan, the word ‘yak’ only refers to the male. Females are a ‘dri’ or ‘nak’
Yaks don’t like their horns being touched.
Alpaca’s love the hot summer but need a shelter or barn for winter
In winter, you can scratch under Pete’s brisket (chest area) and he will lie down so he can have his hooves trimmed.

Jennifer would like to expand her exotic pet program. Once she moves to her new property, she would also like to continue doing tours. Follow The Yak Ranch on Facebook for updates.

White Treasure Farm

Our next stop was 30 minutes east to White Treasure Farms. Here John and Laura Lee Henderson run a goat farm with approximately 150 animals. They raise LaMancha dairy goats and Angora goats. John has been farming since 1990. He took us into one of the pens for a closer look.

LaMancha Goats

These goats were first bred in the United States in 1927. They are dairy goats that can produce approximately 3 litres of milk a day. Goat milk products have a high buttermilk consistency. They are also high in vitamins and minerals. Goat milk is lower in cholesterol than cow’s milk and much more digestible.

One of the most distinctive features of the LaMancha is their short ear pinnae (outer ear). While they appear to have mini ears, they have no problem hearing. These goats are friendly, gentle and are good pets.

Angora Goats

Angora goats are a domesticated Turkish goat bred for their lustrous, silky white fleece called mohair. (This is not to be confused with rabbits that produce angora fur.) As with other breeds, they are excellent for pasture improvement because they eat weeds that many others won’t.

Proper Care

These goats require at least one other goat to roam with as they are a herd animal. Proper nutrition is important to support fibre growth. They need shelter from cold, wet weather and smooth wire fencing is most effective.

These desert animals are sheared twice a year. Their hair grows approximately one inch per month. When shorn the fleece is approximately 10 – 15 cm in length and yields about 2.2 – 4.5 kilos (5 – 12 pounds) of mohair.

In Canada, there are six grades of mohair:

Superfine kid
Kids
Young goat
Young adult
Adult
Mature

The finest mohair comes from superfine kid and kids. This is used for luxury apparel and yarns. Mohair is warm and extremely strong. It is often made into socks, mitts and hats and does not break when spinning. We were told that a pair of mohair socks can last up to 12 years!

At the end of our tour, we were introduced to their llama who provides security to the goats. This large camelid lives among the goats and is onsite for protection from predators. If a threat is present, the llama will herd the goats to an area and stand between the threat and the goats and lets out a loud shrill shriek that alerts everyone of impending danger.

Happiness by the Acre

Our third stop of the day was a 50-minute drive south to Carstairs, Alberta. Here we visited Happiness by the Acre. Marcus and Sarah Riedner gave up city life to become first generation farmers here on 153 acres of land.

Sarah explains that they draw on regenerative agriculture practices to improve the health of the soil and to help rebuild an entire ecosystem. Prior to purchasing the farm, the land was used for grain crops. Their goal is to revive the soil and foster a natural ecosystem to support the wildlife. In the short time they’ve been there, the ground has changed from hard-packed soil with little nutrients to having mixed species growing in their pastures.

Lochlan was on hand to give us a group tour of the farm.

Kunekune Pigs

These little cuties hail originally from New Zealand. Their upturned noses allow them to graze instead of root like regular pigs. Apparently, regular pigs dig up their pens to such a degree that it looks like they’ve been rototilled. The Kunekune’s just eat the grass. Much more conducive to the goals of the farm. The pen is usually moved every 10 days, depending on how much grass has been eaten.

Benny is the big guy currently weighing in at about 135 pounds. He was born last October and will likely top out at 200 – 250 pounds at harvest time (February/March).

Tiger and Jones (the blacker one) were born in March. These babies are very curious. When someone comes into their enclosure, they will try to chew on boot laces or get in your business. Benny is a little more chill and will give you your space. All enjoy a good scratch if you have the time.

Fun fact:

Pigs can’t sweat. That’s why they roll around in mud and dig holes to lie in to try and keep cool.

Happiness by the Acre participates in the LOOP program. This program works with local grocery stores to redirect unsaleable grocery store food to farms of all sizes who have hungry animals to feed.

We’re told there are two main rules:

Not for human consumption.
Take whatever you are given (could be radishes could be donuts).

Through this program pigs, chickens, ducks, cows, dogs, cats, horses and more, receive treats of fresh food. Often farmers find that this improves the condition of their animals.

Our tour with Lochlan included a stop at the family chicken coop. Lochlan readily admitted this was the first chicken coop he had constructed. I believe he referred to it as “a hillbilly hen house”. Agreed!

Rouen Ducks

This domesticated Mallard duck originated in France in the 19^th Century. They do not lay many eggs so are primarily raised for their meat. These Rouen ducks were born June 1^st. They are currently on their last molt and are blowing out their feathers. Males will have a full green head like a Mallard. When the males start getting aggressive with each other and the females, it’s time for the freezer. The females will be kept for a laying flock. Winter laying hens and ducks will stay inside.

Fun fact:

Ducks will go outside in the cold and do a walkabout in snow. Chickens will not. If there is snow on the ground, they will not budge from indoors.

Fallentimber Meadery

Fallentimber Meadery in Water Valley was our final stop of the day.

What’s great about saving this for last was that we could spend some time relaxing at a picnic table, play yard games like Jenga and beanbag toss while sampling a refreshing mead (honey wine). This backyard party atmosphere was complete with music playing, hammocks strung up in trees, BBQ’s for use and a sample station for mead!

We enjoyed our time here prior to our 45-minute tour of the facility where we learned a ton about bees and mead. In 2017, for example, they created a new kind of mead called Meadjito, and the rest as they say, is history. Business is booming. In fact, their new facility was built to keep up with the demand of thirsty Albertans. They have a store on site, so you needn’t go home empty handed.

The best part, this is not only an Alberta Open Farm Days farm. Fallentimber is open to the public on Saturday’s and Sundays with tours and tastings each day. Check out their website and plan to spend some time here.

And That’s a Wrap

Another very successful Alberta Open Farm Day. Remember to mark your calendars for August next year. Check out the Alberta Open Farm Days website for participating farms and plan your trip. There is so much to see and learn. It’s a great time for the whole family.