Meet the Farmers.
Jan
Jan has deep roots in the Springbank soil, and she founded Rafter 1 Ranch on land that has been passed down through generations. A farmer at heart, she was able to realise her farming dream by relying on the generous help of family and neighbours — as generations of farmers and ranchers have done before her.
Sheep farming is a fairly new and exciting adventure for our family.Who could have known sheep, unlike cattle, can get through literally any fence? Luckily, Jesse was able to fix the fence problem pretty quickly, meaning Jan and the whole Rafter 1 family are ready to raise the best Alberta lamb around.
Jenna & Jesse
Jesse is the brains behind our operation. He’s been ranching since he was a teenager and he can build literally anything (and he’s very precise about it). He built our iconic navy barn himself!
Jenna is our webmaster and resident chef. Always travelling, she finds the best lamb and egg recipes and brings them back for us to enjoy!
Doofus
Our mascot. We call him Doofus because he’s a doofus. We also call him Doof, because Doof spelled backwards is fooD and, well, that’s all he thinks about.
Doof spends most of his days either eating or letting us know he’s mad at us because he’s run out of things to eat. When he’s not focused on his fooD, he likes to watch over his sheep friends.
Doof was a working cattle horse for almost 20 years — now he’s just enjoying retirement.
The land
The land that now makes up Rafter 1 Ranch was bought by Jan’s parents in the late 1950s because, as her Grandfather reasoned, “We can see it out the living room window.” At first, our family used this quarter section for hay and bull pasture. Jan still remembers those days fondly: “Walking the land today reminds me of riding with Dad, as a child, in the pickup to check the cattle, and of summers as a teenager, spent right here, on the tractor, raking hay.”
The land is now used solely for sheep ranching. Divided pastures allow the sheep to graze the grass at its most delicious and nutritious stage. Sheep are fussy eaters and prefer short, leafy grass and legumes. Pasture management ensures that they can access the feed that they thrive on.
The sheep
Our ewes live comfortably on the land, 365 days of the year. They roam the open fields all summer long and spend their days exploring the pastures for the tastiest treats. Breaks for contented cud-chewing are taken in the shade. The ewes are sheared in the spring in preparation for not only the summer heat, but also for the arrival of their lambs. Lamb twins are common, and our Dorset-cross ewes are well suited to being mothers. Their lambs grow quickly by grazing our pastures alongside their mothers. By fall, their wool has regrown — the perfect winter coat to protect them against our harsh Alberta winters. Shelter and bedding, as well as a good supply of hay and fresh water, ensure that the sheep remain comfortable and healthy all year long.
Our brand
The Rafter 1 brand has a long history in our family. Jan’s great grandfather chose the design based brand of the Northwest Mounted Police, of which he was a member. It was originally registered as a horse brand in the 1800s, but more recently was used to identify cattle. Even though we’ve left the practice of branding animals long behind, the “Half Diamond One,” as the brand is also known, is a symbol of the know-how Jan has built up over her decades ranching in the Calgary area.