More than 90 years ago the Groeneveld family planted roots near Blackie, where they have dedicated nearly a century to agriculture and the community.
This legacy was honoured last week when the Pine Canyon Cattle Company, owned by Flores and Margaret Groeneveld, was recognized as the Farm Family of the Year from the MD of Foothills at the Calgary Stampede July 11.
Flores said it was a surprise and a true honour.
“There’s probably so many people eligible,” he said. “We do everything as a family and now to receive this award, this is a once in a lifetime thing.”
His father, Tony Groeneveld, moved to Canada from Holland in the 1920s, lured by the promise of a better life on the prairies. As a market farmer in his homeland, he took up a farmstead in Alberta and began working the land.
After completing his high school education, Flores went on to the University of Alberta and just graduated from post-secondary when his father passed away.
Flores partnered with his brother, George Groeneveld, and they continued the family farm.
“We started with two sections of land and over the years we expanded our land base considerably,” said Flores.
At one time, the brothers had 10,000 laying hens that put them in the egg business, which he said was very lucrative in those days.
“You didn’t have to wait for planting and harvest, you didn’t have to worry about hailstorms,” said Flores.
As his children grew older and showed interest in farming, they began taking over parts of the operation. Flores and George went their separate ways in business, and Pine Canyon Cattle Company was born.
The family farm now consists of about 60 acres where they raise cattle and grow barley, peas, corn and wheat. Son Glenn is primarily a grain farmer with a few head of cattle, and his brother Jay raises a small herd and sells hay.
Flores has retired, but still lives on the land and continues to help out his sons, who have taken up the business. Daughter Tonilyn lives on her maternal grandmother’s land near Davisburg, but still helps out with harvest and other chores and son Jeff owns a cattle operation near Balzac.
“We all help each other out when things have to be done around the farm,” said Flores. “We live on individual farms but we all work together.”
His 10 grandchildren are all being raised in the farm life and Flores could not be more proud.
“They’re all very content and involved in farm life,” he said. “To me, that’s the place to bring up children for sure.”
He said the children are learning what the food chain is and where food comes from, which he says is a major advantage.
“When they see a new calf being born it’s a real sensation to watch these kids as it happens,” said Flores. “They get a real glimpse into how life works.”
He’s proud to be passing on the farming tradition to his children and grandchildren and said he would be pleased if any of the younger generation took up the business.
“I would recommend it to my grandchildren for the life we lead,” said Flores. “I always say we ranch and farm to make a living but, sometimes, we’re also maintaining a heritage our fathers and grandfathers began years ago.”
Some of the grandchildren have expressed some interest in farming. The youngest, one of Jay’s children, is a true farm child.
“Tessa is all farm,” said her mom, Angela Groeneveld. “That’s really fun to see – it doesn’t have to be the male.”
Their children have been raised on the farm. Jay went to Olds College after high school to receive a diploma in agriculture with a major in beef with the goal of returning to the family farm operation.
He and his family now live on the original farmstead.
“It was in his blood and he loved what he did,” said Angela. “We were very blessed he grew up in that family, where we had the opportunity to continue farming.”
They were able to purchase the home quarter and raise a herd of cattle while running a hay operation, she said.
It’s rare these days because many older farmers are selling out their land and business as a retirement fund rather than passing it on to their children, she said.
Jay and Angela struggled through two hits by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (also known as Mad Cow Disease) in 2003 and 2005 and were forced to re-educate and find employment off the farm. They have returned to the farm and intend to be fully operational again in the next two years.
Angela said farming is more than a career, it’s a lifestyle and a passion.
“You just love it, it’s in your blood,” she said. “You don’t make a ton of money farming because everything you make you put back into it, but it’s a way of life and tradition.”
