Faith and farming are the two pillars of this year’s Foothills farm family.
The Nauta family, who farm northeast of High River, had to wait a year to receive its recognition at the Calgary Stampede. With COVID-19 putting the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth on hiatus, the annual BMO Farm Family Awards were deferred from 2020 to 2021.
“It’s still an honour,” said Dan Nauta, grandson of Archie and Hilda Nauta, who founded the farm in 1950.
Hilda passed away in 2013 and Archie in June 2020.
The couple had moved to High River from Fort Macleod with two small children (Allen and Brian) and began farming on a half section of land with two cows, two pigs and 300 chickens.
Their first couple of years weren’t easy.
“Grandpa got froze out in August one year and hailed out the next," said Dan. “It was pretty tough going for the first couple of years. Grandpa had to get a job building a nursing home in High River.”
Archie remained devoted to farming, and two more children – Randy and Marilyn – joined the family.
In 2007, the Nautas created two operations from the original half-section farm, Triple N Farms and Nauta Farms Ltd. Between the two they now hold 5,000 acres of land and about 250 head of cattle.
While keeping busy on the farm, the Nauta family always managed to make time for community and charity.
Within their first two years in the area, Archie and Hilda became founding members of the High River Christian Reformed Church, where they raised their children in faith and community service.
From helping out with 2013 flood clean-up to leading youth clubs and 4-H groups, volunteering with sports associations and hosting outreach bible studies, the family has always been involved in service.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Dan. “We’ve been given so much, we want to give back.”
One of the Nauta family’s biggest contributions is participating in the Foothills Growing Project, which is a donation of crops to raise funds for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
The project is a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and agencies working to end global hunger.
The Nautas provide their donation a little differently than other contributors to the Foodgrains Bank.
“Normally there’s a big field with a lot of machines doing all the work, but we’re doing it a little different here,” said Dan. “We have smaller plots of land and we just do it within our own operations.”
The Nauta family is widespread, but a large number still call the Foothills region home, he said.
Farming is in their blood.
“I love it because it’s different all the time,” said Dan. “Every day and every year is different.”
Foothills Coun. Rob Siewert, who represents Div. 1 where the Nautas farm, said they were deserving of recognition as a multi-generational farm family.
“They’ve been a staple in the community or a lot of years,” said Siewert. “They are very generous and benevolent throughout the community.”
He said Archie was still living when the County nominated the Nautas. Today, there are up to four generations farming and living on the land that started with a half-section in 1950.
The family has roots elsewhere in southern Alberta as well, in places like Granum and Brant, he said.
“They’re just really good farmers,” said Siewert. “They do a really good job and put a lot into it.”
He said the BMO Farm Family Awards are valuable reminders of the long-standing innovative, creative, and charitable things happening on Alberta farms.
“It recognizes excellence in the agricultural industry and points to that excellence in various ways – some environmental, some just in community mindedness, these types of things,” said Siewert. “It highlights that and gives everybody else something to look up to, something to model after.”
