Congratulations to the Herr Family, chosen as the BMO Farm Family for Foothills County at the 2025 Calgary Stampede.
At the peak of their operation, the Herr family had dairy cattle, hundreds of laying hens, ewes, sows, meat chickens and turkeys, cow-calf pairs, and land for growing grain and hay. Today the Herr Farm has fewer animals, but the family still takes pride in its mixed farming operation.
Robert Herr's grandfather, Albert, came from Ontario in 1897 in search of new opportunities and settled on the farm in 1898. In 1936, Albert's son, Clifford, took over the farm when his father passed away and left the farm to his family when he passed 20 years later. His son, Robert, was only 14 years old, but with the help of his uncles, he started taking over the farm while finishing school. He farmed his first crop in 1962.
Robert married his wife, Sharon, in 1964 and together they grew the farm through the 1980s and 1990s. Today they are semi-retired and their son, Drew, helps run the day-to-day operations of raising a small cow-calf herd, haying, and taking care of the laying hens and meat chicken and turkeys. Their son, Paul, helps during busy times and works for the farmer who leases the Herr land. The rest of the family, including their daughter, Melissa, daughters-in-law Shelley and Cathy, and five grandchildren all pitch in to help.
Contributing to the community has always been important to Robert and Sharon, who have always strived to maintain a good rapport with their neighbours. They have been involved in the Davisburg Community Association and the Davisburg Church and Cemetery Board, as well as the Davisburg Curling Club. For more than 20 years, the Herr family hosted preschool and kindergarten children to experience farm life with activities such as milking cows and gathering eggs.
For over 120 years, the Herr Farm has been an integral part of the Davisburg community.
