Burnt River Ranch

Burnt River Ranch Located near Woking, AB. Raising Hereford, Berkshire & Hampshire hogs, pastured pork products, dairy cattle, poultry & Haflinger x horses

01/10/2026

The latest Alberta government news announcements.

Go give our friends page a follow! If you’re looking for livestock marketing services, he’s your guy!
01/08/2026

Go give our friends page a follow! If you’re looking for livestock marketing services, he’s your guy!

We finally got Flash’s registration papers in! This hefty, curious little fella is officially named:💥 “Burnt Rivers Flas...
01/06/2026

We finally got Flash’s registration papers in!

This hefty, curious little fella is officially named:

💥 “Burnt Rivers Flashbang” 💥

01/06/2026

🫶

01/05/2026

It is with a profound sense of sadness, that we announce the passing of HLC Director and Livestock Committee Chair, Elwood Quinn.

Elwood was HLC's longest serving director and no one could doubt his passion for heritage breeds. He was most in his element when he had the opportunity to interact with the public, sharing his enthusiasm and belief that heritage breeds are a worthwhile endeavour.

Many will recognize Elwood in particular for his lifelong commitment to heritage swine breeds. He was a strong advocate for all breeds, in recent years working with Hampshire, Tamworth and Lacombe. Elwood was always keen to pass on his wealth of experience to others.

We must not forget though all of his efforts with the White Park and Kerry breeds. Elwood maintained the Canadian White Park herd for a period of time essentially on his own. His work with Kerry and White Park will certainly be part of his legacy.

Put simply, we will miss you Elwood, for you. There will never be anyone quite like you at Heritage Livestock Canada. We extend our deepest sympathies to Elwood's family, friends and all those who knew him.

Donations in Elwood's name, upon his request can be made to Heritage Livestock Canada or Farming Families.

01/05/2026

Bull safety

Many of us choose to keep bulls. Bulls can be managed. Below are suggestions to keep you safe.

Do not enter an enclosure or pasture with a bull if avoidable. If you have to be in the pasture with a bull keep an escape route and never turn your back on a bull.

Never directly challenge a bull. Move a bull in a herd of cattle. Keep the cows between you and the bull. Never put yourself between a bull and his cows. Ideally lock him up separate or tie him when you have to deal with the cows.

Train your bull. Teach him to go to food in a catch pen or to get tied to a post (do not ever 100 percent trust a rope tying him). Use feed to teach the bull to go where you want. Build a bull catch pen that can be closed without putting yourself in danger.

Do not allow or encourage inappropriate behaviors. Do not pet bulls heads or get close enough that they can rub on you. Do not allow bulls to approach and rub on vehicles/tractors. Do not let him track or persue people in his pasture. Use the catch pen or rope to set him up for success by not putting him in a situation where he learns bad behaviors.

Do not isolate bulls long term. Cattle are herd animals. An animal kept by themselves develops behavioral issues. A bull is not meant to live by himself. Keep bulls in herds of multiple cows, steers, or bachelor bulls. A bull protecting a single cow is much more dangerous than a bull with 3 or more animals.

Be aware of hormones. Bulls are most dangerous when cows are in heat, about to calve, or newly calved. Always Isolate the bull in his catch pen before going to retrieve a calve or check a cow. Do not put yourself between the bull and the hormonal cow. Do not take lightly trying to separate them. He will be determined to protect his cow.

Every bull should have a ring in his nose. A ring can be grabbed in an emergency to gain control of a bull. If a bull is throwing his head and slinging dirt threatening, a chain attacked to the ring can be used. It will smack him in the head when he throws his head and discourage the behavior.

If a bull is threatening you, believe him. Most bulls posture before they attack. But not all bulls will show aggression. Do not ever trust a bull.

A hot shot only works on a bull in a peaceful state of mind. It can get a bull to run down a chute or into a trailer. It will scare a curious bull sniffing at your boot. It will not back down an enraged bull. They will only attack harder.

01/04/2026

Yep I said it.

Antibiotics are not the devil.

Penelope here could have really benefited from just a few rounds of antibiotics in her younger life.
But instead, her mastitis infection was left to fester, never really dealt with or treated properly, and created irreparable damage and intense scar tissue to her udder and teats.
By the time we acquired her, all 4 quarters were too far gone for any sort of treatment to fix, holistic or not. We can manage it with a lot of effort, but it always lingers, always returns, simply due to the amount of damage inside her udder. It’s now to the point that we can’t continue letting her live like this.
I’m all for natural and holistic treatments first. They have their place, and antibiotic use should always be avoided unless absolutely necessary. The fact of the matter is though, sometimes they ARE necessary. And sometimes they prevent a lot of headache and suffering. Sometimes using them is far better than not.
In Penelope’s case, they could have easily saved her from a lifetime of pain, and inevitably a sealed fate.

Something to think about before you completely disregard antibiotic use.

01/03/2026

This mindset Is gross..
Not everyone has access to fresh tomatoes.
Not everyone has 12 hours.
Not everyone is at the same place in their homemade journey.
Trying matters.
Learning matters.
Starting somewhere matters.
Making the switch to homemade doesn’t mean you have to do it perfectly or all at once. Sometimes it’s about using what you have, doing the best you can, and building skills over time.
And sometimes it’s simply about knowing how to do something in case you ever need to, not because you’re doing it that way every single time.
If you’re choosing better, slower, more intentional options when you can, you’re doing enough.
We don’t need gatekeeping in the homemade world.
We need encouragement.
Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Keep going.
🤍
Edit: I am not upset about this comment, but what about the 100k people following me, when they see these comments on posts? How discouraging.

Address

76235 Rg Road 74
Woking, AB
T0H3V0

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Our Story

Farming and ranching is something stuck in our blood. We were never blessed with having a farm or land handed down to us, so we have had to make some pretty big sacrifices and live our life quite differently than most people in order to achieve our dream. Some think we are ‘weird’ or don’t understand the vision we have. Staying as debt-free as possible and managing money wisely plays a key role in us being able to pursue this big endeavour at 23 and 25 years old. Purchasing our land and starting to build certainly was not the beginning of this dream! On top of that, we have found it is super important to believe in ourselves! There has been more than enough nay-sayers, doubters, etc. telling us we are crazy, naive, misinformed, or all sorts of other things for pursuing a passion that many others would never do. Despite this, we have learned to ignore the hate and continue working towards our goals. Raising our family on a farm and teaching our children crucial values that are lacking in todays society is another significant goal of ours, as well as living in and participating in a small community. We are excited to get back to our roots and become more involved in both the equine and beef industry.