Alberta's known for its agriculture, but beyond conventional livestock like cows and chickens, what are some more unique animals being farmed in the Foothills?
From South American animals thriving in Alberta's climate, to a species that filled the prairies long ago and is now making a comeback, Foothills County is home to some truly remarkable ranches.
Prairie Spirit Alpacas, located near Millarville, is a farm that prides itself on its award-winning alpacas.
"They're very appealing," says owner Jadick. "They're lovely animals to work with and I like the idea that they're sustainable and you don't have to kill them to get a product, that it's kind of a renewing resource."
The farm is home to about 200 Huacaya alpacas — one of two alpaca breeds in existence, the other being the far less common Suri — and prides itself on being ethical and respectful towards its animals, with all baby alpacas, known as crias, being raised alongside their mothers and family units.
"Some people cull the old ones... on my farm, I don't cull them," says Jadick. "If they're too old to [reproduce], I can still make products from their fleece, but they're just not in my breeding program."
Prairie Spirit Alpacas' animals have received acclaim at alpaca shows in Canada and the United States, where the animals are judged for their fleece, behaviour, conformity and more.
"I have many that have ribbons and some that are champions," she says.
Jadick treats her alpacas with care and compassion, though they don't necessarily reciprocate it visibly.
"Alpacas are prey animals, and because of that, they don't like to be handled and they don't really crave affection," she says.
Alpacas aren't as timid as some other prey animals living on farms, though.
Alpacas are known to be defensive animals, and are even used as guard animals to keep predators away from livestock with their kicking and signature spitting, but Jadick's herd is relatively docile, she says.
Jadick uses her alpacas for breeding stock, with some young animals sold, and for fibre, which she harvests with an annual shearing of each alpaca.
"They're more like sheep than cows and and goats because the end product is not meat, the end product is their fibre."
During a shearing demonstration, Jadick showed the amount of work involved in the process — which includes hoisting the animal on to a board, administering vitamins and medication, trimming teeth which grow constantly and need to be managed, and more.
The process is somewhat strenuous but worth it, says Jadick, as the ultra-soft material has many applications and is incredibly in-demand.
"It's a good business as a fibre business," she says. "I make yarn out of their fleece and I dye it and I sell it, and I make products out of it like socks and knitted items like hats and mitts."
Jadick maintains a diverse selection of alpacas, with black, white, brown and multi-coloured animals making up her herd.
The farm has been a Foothills community staple for some time now, with visitors welcomed to see the alpacas on certain occasions, but things changed after the farm suffered a barn fire on Oct. 11, 2023, losing eight alpacas and a livestock dog to the blaze.
Despite the setback, the herd and the business are going strong, though there is some concern over the upcoming winter now that the animals' primary shelter is gone.
"Alpacas come from the mountains in the Andes, so our climate here is similar to where they come from, but if it gets colder than minus 25, they really should be inside a shelter," she says.
"We're really lucky that this year was a warmer winter than historical, but I will need a better shelter for them for this winter coming up."
Once a new barn is built, Jadick will be using alpaca fibre for insulation. In addition to its softness, the material is fire resistant.
Ultimately, Jadick says, alpacas are lucrative. They cost a relatively low amount to feed and care for annually, and generate a profit per animal with their fibre, but can be trickier to manage than some traditional livestock.
Alpaca farming isn't for everyone, but it's a great opportunity nonetheless, she says.
"I would recommend it only if you love them. It's a labour of love."
1907 Bison
While alpacas aren't native to Alberta, another farm in the Foothills is raising an animal that is synonymous with the prairies: bison.
1907 Bison, located southwest of High River, is an up-and-coming bison farm that's happy to see the species thrive in the Foothills again.
"There's almost a feeling of kind of trying to correct the direction that they went," says Jennifer Duckering, who runs the ranch alongside her husband Tom. "You know, everyone knows the history of how they almost went out of existence, and the fact that we're trying to bring up their numbers.
"It's very appealing to be part of that, to try and contribute to that, even in a small way with a small herd."
Duckering's herd is composed of plains bison, one of two American bison subspecies alongside wood bison.
"The wood bison are more native to northern Alberta and then the plains bison are native to this area, southern Alberta, and throughout the (United) States," says Duckering.
"So this is a pure plains bison herd... some bison ranchers will mix the two, because the wood bison is a larger bison, to get more volume of meat, but we wanted to honour the genetics of this animal and keep it native to what is found in this region."
Thanks to their biological ties to the land they're native to, bison in the Foothills are more "self-sustaining" than cattle, their close relatives.
"This is their natural ecosystem," says Duckering. "They evolved in concert with the grasslands out here, so they're very well adapted to maximizing the nutritional value from the grasses they eat."
This leads to a noticeably different, and in Duckering's opinion better, product.
"For today's more health-conscious consumer, bison meat is very well sought after," she says.
"It's a very healthy, nutrient-dense meat. I tell my friends when they try bison meat, 'if you're used to eating two beef burgers, eating one bison burger is comparable to that.'"
Bison are different from cattle in more ways too, says Duckering, including being smarter and even having individual personalities.
Having bison is an opportunity that Duckering would recommend for anybody looking to get into agriculture.
"I tell my kids all the time, 'You know they have these animals in the zoo, and you get to come out here and see them whenever,'" she says.
As bison reintroduction and conservation efforts continue across Alberta, Duckering would like to see bison farming become more established in the Foothills.
"A lot of bison ranchers are in Saskatchewan and north of Calgary... so there's not a ton of bison producers in the Foothills area," she says, adding the existing bison community in the Foothills and southern Alberta has been incredibly welcoming and supportive.
"It's amazing just to be a part of the industry in any role, because there's just something very appreciative about playing a small role in raising these animals.
"They're truly the native meat of North America."
