‘That was kind of a real special day’: Nominations open for annual farm family award

On a cattle ranch south of Suffield, nestled in beside the South Saskatchewan River you will find a plaque from Cypress County recognizing the Forbes family for their 2022 BMO Farm Family of the year award.

Kyle Forbes is a third generation cattle farmer at Cottonwood Livestock started by his grandfather in 1966.

His parents Gord and Patti Forbes purchased the farm in 1997 and have operated it since.

Forbes had never attended the Calgary Stampede until the award ceremony and said he enjoyed the recognition.

“So you did a banquet in the morning with all the other families that had won across the province,” Forbes said.

“And from there we did lunch, and then we had tickets given to us to attend one of the performances. So all the farm families had the opportunity to go and attend the rodeo for the day.”

“That was kind of a real special day.”

The local award winner is also honoured at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede.

The winner of the award has been recognized as a deserving family for both their agriculture and community involvement.

Lisa Sulz is the agricultural supervisor at Cypress County who goes over the applications.

“The applications come to me at the county here and then they will be taken to an upcoming [agriculture] service board meeting, where the members there will go through the applications and choose the one they feel deserving for that year,” Sulz said.

Community involvement is a strength that had helped secure the award for the Forbes family.

Forbes said he’s involved with producer boards and is a chair with the Alberta Grazing Lease Holders Association and his kids are involved in 4-H.

“My dad in the past, he was heavily involved with the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede board, the Box Springs Rodeo Committee, both my parents were involved in the Ralston Rodeo and putting that on for military families,” Forbes said.

“My brother’s heavily involved with the hockey programs out on the base and teaching those people the game of hockey and skating.”

The family does not know who had nominated them but said they very much appreciated it.

If you know of a deserving family for the award you can nominate them through the form on the Cypress County website.

Cypress County has the award winners since 1996 listed on its site.

by Jesse Gill

‘That was kind of a real special day’: Nominations open for annual farm family award

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