Building a legacy - the Century Farm and Ranch Award

Provides provincial recognition of farm families who have continuously owned and actively operated the same land for 100 years or more.

Building a legacy

The Century Farm and Ranch Award and 125-Year Farm Recognition
Farming and ranching consist of hard work and sacrifice, combined with a healthy dose of energy and unrelenting faith. This spirit and vision, complemented by a new land of limitless natural resources is what brought our ancestors to Alberta. They settled the land to build the family farm or ranch – the place many of you continue to call home today.

Keeping the farm or ranch actively operating from generation to generation is an impressive achievement for any Alberta family. Agriculture and Irrigation recognizes these special families who built the foundation of prairie farming and ranching. The contributions they have made to Alberta's agriculture sector is immeasurable. Their dedication to agriculture, family and rural communities has helped build a vibrant and sustainable agriculture industry in our province.

Past recipients

Get to know the families who have built the foundation of prairie farming and ranching in Alberta. See our interactive Alberta Century Farm and Ranch Award Dashboard.

Hear from past recipient: Burke Creek Ranch

How recipients are honoured
In addition to provincial recognition, successful applicants will receive a custom-made, cast bronze plaque to mark this significant milestone.

In 2018, the 125-Year Farm Recognition component was launched to recognize farms and ranches going back to 1885. Recipients are presented with an honourary certificate, personally signed by the Premier and the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation and housed in a formal presentation folder. There is no requirement for establishment documents. The family must have already been awarded the Century Farm and Ranch Award and still own and operate the land at the time of application.

Today, more than 1970 farms have been awarded with the Century Farm and Ranch plaque and over 40 have received both the Century plaque and the 125-Year Farm Recognition Certificate.