Swan Valley cattle rancher Bruce Anderson is coming close to watching his family’s way of life hit a milestone in celebrating 100 years of breeding cattle. Anderson can remember his time growing up on the family farm, how very different it is from today’s generation and way of doing things.
“When I was growing up on the farm, there was a lot more manual labour back then,” said Bruce Anderson.
“It was really hard to balance any sports or school activities with farm responsibilities. We had outside chores before and after school from the time I was ten or so.
“We made over ten thousand square bales each year for use in the barns and for the cattle shows.
Working on the show cattle in very cold barns and travelling to the shows across Canada and U.S. without cell phones is something I think about a lot.
“Things have gotten a lot more automated and our equipment and infrastructure has improved considerably,” said Anderson. “The requirement of off-farm income to support the family farm has added a lot of pressure and time constraints.”
Anderson’s father learned to manage money very early in life and passed that skill on to Bruce. He grew up knowing that there would be years where things would fluctuate and that it was important to have some extra in waiting, for those times. Anderson also embraced the advances that came with cattle breeding, which helped with the succession of not only the breeding of cattle but operations in general.
“My dad was very frugal and taught me to be careful with my money and that has helped us through the tough years of growing our farm,” said Anderson. “We implanted some of the first embryos in the early seventies and that technology has improved our herd considerably through the years.”
Cattle farming was something that was in Anderson’s blood, so it was no surprise that he would continue on with the family farm and breeding cattle.
“Our family had been raising Angus since 1933, so it was all I knew, and in my heart,” said Anderson.
“I purchased my first Angus cow when I was nine and now almost 50 years later, she is still the breed of momma cow I want to have on my farm.”
There are a lot of factors to consider when breeding cattle, particularly when establishing a purebred line such as Anderson has done.
“You need patience to watch the animals develop, it takes 36 months from conception to the first calf off a female you bred to see the results of your matings,” said Anderson.
“There have been fads in the purebred industry through the years, but we have always strived to produce a consistent product as our customers are the commercial cattleman and whatever we produce has to work for them. We source genetics from across North America to constantly improve our herd, through the use of artificial insemination and embryo transplant. “
Anderson has heard from his father and experienced the impacts of what a drought year can do to cattle operations. His father experienced one of the worst droughts in history in 1930s and then Bruce himself recalls the drought from 1960.
“I remember my dad talking about his mom walking the cattle up to the Roaring River to water daily, where our farm is located now,” said Anderson. “This would be a two-mile walk with small children and literally a hill both ways. We were fortunate in the Valley to not feel the effects of the severe drought like the southern parts of Canada.
“Dad and his brother also cropped land and were somewhat diversified so that helped.”
Anderson can recall the work put into their first bull sale in the Valley and now the event has grown both in size and work involved in putting it together. In 2014, the Andersons began hosting their bull sale directly on their farm.
“We started out in a group sale called the All Breeds Bull Sale with other local breeders,” said Anderson.
“Their efforts and cooperation improved our marketing options and helped make Swan Valley known as a place to purchase bulls. We always deal with distance living here, and over the years technology has helped bridge the miles. We have sold bulls by private treaty as well and established our own sale in 2010, and holding it on the farm required facility for the sale.
“We advertise through a lot of different venues and now produce our own catalogue, taking videos and pictures ourselves. Technology has broadened our target markets and we often have bulls go across the prairie provinces and into the US; however, the majority are within a 100-mile radius. We always wanted to keep our sale local as we are firm believers that supporting your local community is the secret to keeping it thriving.”
Bruce is now watching as his children carry the torch and looks forward to watching the family legacy reach the milestone of 100 years.
“At times it is hard to let go of the reins, but I’m very proud of the integrity and work ethic our kids have,” said Anderson. “My dad would have been also. He loved the cattle industry and the Swan Valley, and both Austen and Breanna respect the legacy he left. I hope that I have helped to instill that in them. Watching our grandchildren grow up and knowing our love of this industry is my greatest reward. I look forward to our 100-year milestone in 2033.”