Jacobson Family named 2026 BMO Farm Family

SUBMITTED Scandia’s Jacobson Family was named a Calgary Stampede BMO Farm Family.The annual awards are presented to honour farm families in southern Alberta who exemplify ... Read more

SUBMITTED Scandia’s Jacobson Family was named a Calgary Stampede BMO Farm Family. The annual awards are presented to honour farm families in southern Alberta who exemplify the value of family farming and contribute to the enhancement of quality of life as a family unit. The County of Newell nominates one family annually.

Like most farms and ranches in the area, the Jacobsons depend on irrigation for crops and feedlot cattle. That water supply has been a key factor in the success of their 65-year-old operation. “We would be nothing without irrigation and its advancements over the years,” said Don Jacobson, patriarch and leader of Jacobson Stock Farms Ltd.

The stock farm got its start when Don’s parents, Doug and Lois Jacobson, moved to Scandia from Tilley in 1951. Doug didn’t have an agricultural background having recently returned from serving in the Second World War but after working for Lois’ parents for about 10 years he learned the ropes. With three young boys to support, they asked to purchase the Scandia land and officially incorporated the business on December 27, 1961.

The farm has always consisted of irrigated land and cattle but for several years, they also ran a large sheep operation for wool. In the mid-1960s, Doug and Lois lost the land they had been leasing for the sheep, so they decided to leave that market. In 1975, Don returned from university to the farm to work with his parents and brother, who left the business in 1985.

His father passed away in 1995. He and his wife, Kathi, raised four children; all were expected to help, and they enjoyed doing so. Don’s sister Jessie has been actively involved with the administrative side of the business for many years sharing those responsibilities with Lois until she passed in 2012.

After graduating from university in 2016 with an economics degree, their son Drew rejoined the operation full-time and he is supported by his wife, Galen. Not immune from life’s unwelcome events, Don and Kathi lost one of their daughters, Brett, in a vehicle accident when she was in Grade 10. The couple’s daughters and spouses have helped in varying capacities with the business—Taylor Jacobson and her husband Maciej Paszkowski, and Evangeline and Josey Brodoway.

They, and all the grandchildren, enjoy coming home to the farm. Today, Jacobson Stock Farms is mainly a finishing and backgrounding feedlot operation, with a diverse range of crops, including corn, seed canola, and cereals, grown as well. Around the time that Don and Kathi joined the farm in the late 1970s, the key components of the operation started to shift.

Originally, the Jacobsons bred some of their herd but they slowly began transitioning to feeding cattle. “The demands of our own herd conflicted with the feeding operation, so we decided to just concentrate on one thing,” explains Don. “We started the transition in the mid-1980s, but the transition to finishing was slow.

There wasn’t a lot of room for error in business decisions.” Today their feedlot has the capacity to feed 4,500 cattle. They also farm 1,100 acres of irrigated land which has seen significant shifts over the years.

“Irrigation has really fostered what we have been able to do,” said Don. The progress of irrigation on their farm over the years has been phenomenal – going from flood irrigation to hand move to wheel lines, then to pivots and now to corner arms on pivots. “Now we just push a button,” remarked Don.

“It’s a big deal.” They have also created dugouts which provide a substantial amount of water storage – enough to supply their feedlot cattle for up to seven months. The crop side of their operation pairs well with their feeding business, as they utilize the corn and grain for feed while supplementing with other feed purchases.

Don’s father was one of the first farmers in the area to grow corn for forage. The Jacobson family is proud of the area in which they live which is reflected in their ongoing commitment to their community. “We want to give back and stay connected,” said Kathi.

Don served as director on the Eastern Irrigation Board for three years and taught golf lessons to youth for many years. Kathi taught in several schools in the county and after retiring worked as a substitute teacher before serving a term as a school board trustee for Grasslands Public Schools. Since 2021, she has served as a board member for the Scandia Community Hall and she helps with community events.

Drew is a member of the Brooks Golf Course and has taught junior golf for several seasons helping to develop young golfers at the Rolling Hills Golf Course. The Jacobsons are proud to call the Scandia area home. With the adoption of modern irrigation technology, their farming operation continues to thrive, supporting both the family and their farm.

“You don’t realize how attached you get to the land and to the community,” summarizes Kathi. “We love farming, and we love the prairies.”