A local family, just west of the valley, is humbled and proud by a recent award.
The Berdahl family of Kneehill County was a recipient of the Alberta Century Farm and Ranch Award which is giving to farming families who have been farming the same land for 100 years or more.
The story starts in 1915, when Martin Sember married Rhoda.
"The land was originally purchased by my grandparents, Martin and Rhoda Sember. Shortly after their marriage, they took a trip to Sao Poulo, Brazil. Martin worked on a coffee plantation out there," explained grandson Dennis Berdahl who currently runs the farm with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. "My grandparents both wanted to return to Canada. While they were still in Brazil they had a baby, which was my mother Margret. They did return to Canada after that.
After they returning to Canada, the family got right to work.
"They purchased a section of land from the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) in January, 1917. They paid $12,260 for the whole section. To be able to get the tittle for the land, they had to make improvements to the land, which included building a house, a barn, chicken house, graineries, build five miles of fence and break over 400 acres of land," continued Berdahl.
The amazing story has been passed down through generations, and the Berdahl Family carries on the legacy every day.
"I think about how my grandparents started with so little and worked hard to make a living. They farmed with horses, summer followed half the land, delivered their grain by horse and wagon to an elevator which was only 2 miles away," said Berdahl humbly. "I guess, overall, it is quite an honour to farm that original land that was purchased by my mother's parents over 100 years ago."
