By CHAT News Today

Eight families honoured with Century Farm and Ranch Awards

Aug 23, 2017 | 5:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE — Eight southern Alberta families were honoured by the province for their contributions to agriculture on Tuesday.

The provincial government handed out Century Farm and Ranch awards during a ceremony in Lethbridge on Tuesday, recognizing families who have farmed the same land for 100 years or more.

“The ongoing success of our agriculture sector depends greatly on the dedication and hard work of Alberta’s farming families,” said Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in a news release. “It is an honour to recognize their legacy and support the sustainable growth of our local food industry, which is an integral part of the foundation of our provincial economy.”

The Neubauer family from Irvine were among the families recognized at Tuesday’s ceremony. Nichole Neubauer says the award is a significant milestone for her family.

“By recognizing the generations that came before us we can better appreciate their hardships and the sacrifices they made to carve a living out of the prairie sod,” said Nichole Neubauer in a news release. “For us, it is very grounding to know exactly where we came from and it’s important for our family and our children to know how our ancestors lived.”

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Other families being honoured with awards include the Althen family of Bowmanton, the Armstrong family of Lomond, the Corbiell family of Gleichen, the Glimsdale family of Claresholm, the Kuhl family of Etzikom, the Smith family of Champion and the Smith family of Mossleigh.

This year, 52 families are being recognized with Century Farm and Ranch awards. The province has honoured more than 1,700 family farms since 1993.