AIRDRIE, Alta. – An Alberta ranching family is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its brand.
For the Hansons of Airdrie, the Bell L mark is part of their history.
Five generations have used it since it was first registered by Louie Hanson in 1909.
Hanson, who homesteaded in the Vulcan, Alta., area, was granted the brand with the L inside a bell to use on all positions on cattle and horses.
The family brands its horses on the right thigh and calves on the left hip.
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Brands were registered for $1 a year in those early days, and the Hansons maintained it even when they did not have livestock.
Louie got into the construction business after losing his farm in 1918, working on the highway from Okotoks, Alta., to Calgary and the Old Banff Coach Road, which is now a major thoroughfare in northwestern Calgary.
A new farm was eventually established north of Calgary at Symons Valley in 1943. The original property is now an upscale suburb named Hanson Ranch, where Gene Hanson’s statue stands at the gateway of the community.
The Bell L brand became synonymous with elite Hereford cattle, a venture started by Ron and Gene Hanson. Newly married to Renie, Ron worried he could not support a new family with a commercial herd on a limited land base.
He believes he entered the business at the right time.
“Calgary was the heart of the purebred industry for a long time so there were lots of mentors around.”
He also branded his purebred cattle.
“I always wanted people to know my bulls on the big ranches,” he said.
The Hereford base earned the family an international reputation, and the bulls sold for five and six figures worldwide.
“Our purebred business was really good to us. We travelled all over the world,” he said.
The family sold cattle, semenand embryos to 17 countries and shipped the first Canadian bred Herefords to Australia and Ireland. Shipments also went to Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand and the United States. Embryos went to Europe, particularly Denmark and Sweden.
The Hansons ran 29 production sales and were also regulars at the Calgary Bull Sale, where they took numerous championships and topped the sale annually.
Ron said it was never work as he and his family rose to the top of the Hereford world.
Interested in everything from raising and selling the cattle, Ron delved into optimum grass production, nutrition and monitoring animal performance.
“I enjoyed the people. I loved everything I did. That was the best part of the purebred business. It was like having a holiday all the time.”
He also watched the U.S. cattle industry closely because he felt the Americans were always ahead.
“I tried to figure out what was going to happen five years from now,” he said.
When Ron’s son Wayne started to take over, they added Red Angus to develop a bred heifer program. It also came time for one generation to slow down and the purebreds were dispersed privately starting in 2000. Customer contact continued for two more years
“It weaned me off it,” Ron said.
Wayne now runs a small cow herd and custom yearlings.
The Hansons never lost money during the BSE market collapse but as Alberta prospered, it became more difficult to find farm labour, prompting them to reduce their herd. This year they calved about 50 cows.
Branding continues every year, and the great-great grandchildren of Louie still show cattle at youth events with the Bell L brand.
