Cool Running: Ranching in Alberta’s Cow Country

-- Customer Story

Chris Sloan, along with his brother Frankie and their father, Frank, run Sloan Cattle Company, a cow/calf operation north of St. Paul, Alberta. With some 30,000 acres owned or managed by them, they believe their ranch is among the 20 largest such concerns in Canada. Of those 20, they're among the farthest north. The Sloans' pastureland is spread over some 130 km, while the land on which they grow hay—producing as much as 35,000 round bales in years past—is as far away as 150 km.

Managing a 30,000-acre ranch and caring for as many as 11,000 head of cattle demands that everyone and everything work on schedule. Fortunately for the Sloan family, owners of Sloan Cattle Company, they love the work, have terrific help and run a 10-machine fleet of dependable, comfortable and fuel-efficient Massey Ferguson® equipment.

"The fuel consumption is just unbelievable," says Chris. About their 7600 and 8600 Series tractors, Chris says, "They burn 33% less than their competitors. And our two [windrowers], they burn 50% less fuel to cut the same amount of acres."

The cabs on the WR9700 Series windrowers are, says Frankie, "the most roomy as compared to other brands. Visibility is better too. John Deere is pretty enclosed, and in that Massey you can definitely see twice as good. Those Massey [windrowers] are definitely the best made on the market."

"The Masseys seem way smoother too," says Chris about the benefits of the CVT transmission. "You don't feel any jerks or any shifts. They've got plenty of power too. They're just amazing."

The Sloans also recently switched to two Hesston by Massey Ferguson® 2270 large square balers, which Chris says are dependable and easy to use. Even in their first year owning the large square, says Chris, "we could make 1,000 bales in a day. That [square baler] is a very impressive piece of equipment."

The two brothers and their father agree they're fortunate to farm with each other. "I love working with my family," says Frankie. "Every day, I'm just happy to wake up and go do my job."

Adds Frank: "I like working with these two and seeing them grow up on the farm. And it's an awful nice sight to see 650 cows lining up, eating their oats behind a spreader. There's satisfaction in knowing that you've done that … that you've raised that food for the whole world."

To read more about Sloan Cattle Company, check out the full story at http://www.myfarmlife.com/features/cool-running-ranching-in-albertas-cow-country/.