Cattle Ranch
Alberta
1. Describe your project, your place, and its inhabitants (including animals):
Izaac and Kerbi are now managing the family ranch that Kerbi grew up on. Izaac and Kerbi have 3 kids who are very social and enjoy meeting new people from different countries. Izaac has some of his own cattle and every year from May to November, Izaac manages an additional 200 customer cow/calf pairs by rotationally grazing them through 14 quarters of tame and native range. The ranch also has barnyard birds, cats and dogs. We enjoy gardening, nature and western pursuits. Most of the work is done on foot, so WOOFers need to enjoy walking. We do have horses and Zac likes to reward WOOFers with horse experiences once the work is complete. All riding is done with Zac, based on his schedule of availability. Our insurance company does not allow us to offer independent riding opportunities for WOOFers. Safety of WOOFers and horses are paramount, Zac needs to be able to assess the horses skills of the WOOFer and WOOFers are required to put time in to creating a relationship with the horses on the ground before riding them. The WOOFers will be housed in a mobile home in the cute little village of Halkirk. There are three bedrooms in the mobile home in Halkirk. Two of the bedrooms are sometimes rented to short term wind turbine workers in the area. And one bedroom is for WOOFers. All the bedrooms are locking. The ranch is located 10 minutes drive north of the village of Halkirk.
2. List the activities that WWOOFers will participate in and what you want to teach them:
Izaac and Kerbi believe strongly in sustainable agriculture. By intensive grazing the cattle, it mimics the way the buffalo used to graze the plains. It allows the grass plenty of time for re-growth and the cattle will only ever be in that particular paddock once that year. Izaac is passionate about his grass and managing grazing on western Canadian grass lands. Izaac and Kerbi's homesite is run completely off solar panels and they live off grid for power. It is important to note that Izaac and Kerbi both work off the ranch during the week. WOOFers are needing to be comfortable with independent jobs. WOOFers are given two days off a week but they are usually week days, which means they will also be independent days. The WOOFers that are the best fit are interested in photography, hiking and reading on their off days. This allows you to be trained by Izaac on the weekends when he is off work.
WWOOFers will get to experience a 2400 acre cow calf custom grazing business. May-November (depending on the amount of rain that year the time of the big herd could vary) 200 customer cows with calves rotationally grazed through 14 quarters. WOOFers will be involved in the daily checks of animals, daily checks of fence which is mainly electric fence but some barb wire, gardening and interest in lots of open land hiking/walking. Drivers license is needed.
3. What could a WWOOFer's day look like at your site (time slot for participation in activities, expectations...)?
WWOOFers have many available jobs depending on their area of interest and the time of year. The type of jobs could consist of checking and repairing fence, checking waterers, hauling water, cattle drives, gardening. WWOOFer's usually cook supper 3 or 4 nights a week, which allows the sharing of recipes and traditional dishes. We are located close to Big Knife Provincial Park so if it is a hot day, a trip to the river to cool off could be in order or if its cool day a bonfire and a hot drink might be just the ticket.
4. Play the guide! Talk about your own hobbies (music, cooking, etc.) and those possible around (hiking, swimming, etc.): We love fishing, canoeing, swimming, hiking, riding, camping, cook outs, BBQ, star gazing and reading books. We are located 15 min drive from Big Knife Provincial Park where there is lots of fishing, camping and hiking. Part of the ranch is located on a beautiful coulee and offer plenty of opportunities for hiking and adventures. The village of Halkirk has about 100 residents with a hotel, pub and restaurant. There is an outdoor swimming pool in Castor which is a 20 min drive away. Halkirk is very rural, there is no public transit. It helps if woofers are interested in photography, hiking and reading as there is not as much social events happening in the community.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Cattle farming
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
800
Hectares
|
1,976.8
Acres
Kerbi
Member since 2023
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Alberta
Reviews
Max
United Kingdom
•
January 2026
I had an amazing time staying with Zac and Kerbi. They’re some of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting! They made me feel super welcome and went above and beyond to make my stay as great as possible. It was a lovely getting to know them, there two boys and Kerbi’s mum Patti! I learnt loads about looking after cows, horses, dogs and cats. And learnt about a way of life I’ve fallen in love with. Pretty gutted to be leaving and hopefully I’ll have a chance to see them again!
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Myriam
Canada
•
September 2025
Been there 5 weeks !
Be prepare to walk walk walk walk and walk again. Maybe 15 km every working days. Kitchen cleaning and cooking. Thanks to my dog and Sadie (farm dog) for keeping me compagnie because I worked alone 98% of the time.
If you are looking to get in shape and have a lot of time to think this place is for you.
If your looking for meals together and lots of time with the owner, that's not what you are gonna get.
This is more an employee position not really a woofing experience.
Housing where you live is really clean and meals are good ;)
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Maja
Germany
•
October 2024
My time at the cattle ranch was awesome. It is such a peaceful and quiet place to stay. I really enjoyed working with all the animals. Moving cows, horses and letting the goats graze every day was so much fun. I was always outside in the nature and enjoyed going on walks with Brynn the dog and the cats. I fell in love with their kittens, they are so adorable and want to get pet every second. Kerbi and Zac are awesome hosts. I had a plan every day for what my tasks are and everything was explained perfectly. Zac taught me a lot about cows, and he answered all my questions I had. The boys have lots of energy and I loved playing with them outside with the goats or playing soccer. I am thankful that I could stay on this wonderful farm and I had the best time of my life. Thank you for the great experience.
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Brendan
Canada
•
August 2024
Zac and Kerbi are great hosts! Very polite and respectful and accommodating. They treat you like family. Anyone who has interest in learning about cattle farming, I would highly recommend there farm!
Susanne
Germany
•
August 2024
As a family with two children, we had two very interesting weeks with the Swann family. Our work ranged from setting fences to housework, gardening, cattle drives, vaccinating calves, tagging and castrating bull calves. Zac explained a lot of new things to us about farming, the boys had a great time playing with our children and Kerbi and Oma took our children swimming or into town. We really enjoyed the conversations with the great Oma. We got great tips for rodeos and provincial parks to explore or went fishing together. Thank you very much for the exciting time. Send a warm greeting to Oma. Yours Valeska, Henriette, Susanne and Steffen.
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Nathalie Nicole
Mexico
•
June 2024
Swann land and Livestock is the best place you could ever visit,
I had the best time of my life in their farm,
everyday was a new adventure with zac, the best friend, always fun, and the best cookies and food you could ever try,
it is always incredible to talk to kerbi and get some great advices and help in every way, and the little boys are pure magic, full of creativity, kindness, and energy haha, definitely a place where you could never get bored.
every single person in their family is amazing, interesting, full of energy, and the best people you could ever met.
I learned a lot of things about farming, culture, nature, animals, food, language, and to always look at and enjoy the positive sides of life.
If you are looking for having the most amazing time in canada, i’m sure this is the right place. <3
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