ALANNA FARMS, DRUMHELLER, AB

Above Photo: Albert Jensen with his wife Cindy in front of their Case IH 9230 combine mounted with a MacDon FD75 FlexDraper header. (Photo Credit: MacDon Performance Stories (macdon.com/performance)

Alberta is ripe with history such as the infamous Frank’s Slide, the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, the Rocky Mountains and many in between. These public historical sites are well-known and visited by thousands of tourists every year, however, there is much of Alberta’s history that remains unspoken and that is the history that is carried on through agriculture year after year.

The Jensen family first came to Alberta in 1927 when Albert and Anna Jensen and their four children made the move from Kimballton, Iowa, by rail to Wayne, Alberta, which bordered Drumheller at the time. They had all their possessions in a box car and when they arrived, all that powered their farm was a wind generator until 1948.

“They had a mixed operation. Grain became more a part of it as technology developed,” said grandson Albert Jensen, who runs the farm today. “They originally started out with a half section and it’s since grown to 16,000 acres.”

Once his grandfather retired, Albert’s father Ove took over the operation until it was passed down to Albert.

“I would not be farming this if it hadn’t been passed down through the family. That’s the most likely way you’d be in agriculture today is if your family sacrificed over time and passed it on. My father did it with me and I intend to do the same thing.”

It was Ove and Edith Jensen who graced the farm with the name Alanna Farms to honor his parents and their legacy.

“My Dad incorporated it in 1978. I’m glad he did it because it shows the heritage of when Albert and Anna moved here with their four kids in 1927,” said Albert.

Alanna Farms had cattle until 1975 but when times like calving season began butting heads with seeding season, the family made the decision to move out of the cattle industry and become grain producers, which caused the farm to blossom almost overnight.

“We farm in five municipalities – Wheatland County, Town of Drumheller, Special Area No. 2, Starland County, and Kneehill County.”

Presently, the farm produces 8,000 acres of wheat with the remaining 8,000 acres being shared between barley, canola, and peas.

Alanna Farms have always been loyal to the International Harvester brand and have been with RME since it acquired Heartland Equipment in Drumheller over a decade ago. All but two of their units are Case IH and Albert says it’s great to be able to depend on RME and its employees within the Drumheller and Balzac branches.

“Most of the staff from Heartland Equipment are still with RME, especially in the Service department. I’ve known most of them for a long time, especially Codey Groeneveld, the Shop Foreman,” he said. “For a small shop, they put a ton of work through there. We feel comfortable that we’re well looked after, and we don’t have to shop around. Even when we’re buying, I feel comfortable and trust that the deals through RME are fair. I also know we’ll get looked after in Parts and Service and it’s a great feeling.”

Albert works primarily with Regional Sales Manager James Ulry, Ag Sales Consultant Trevor McAfee, and Shop Foreman Codey Groeneveld but enjoys working with everyone at RME. He says whenever mechanical issues arise, the Service department and himself work together to make it work.

Albert has five children with his wife Cindy – four sons and a daughter – with three of his sons running their own farms while his fourth son is getting ready to head off to university in Fall 2021. His daughter got married last summer and her husband is a full-time employee on the farm.

RME takes great pride in being able to do Right By Alanna Farms and work alongside Albert and his family to provide top of the line Parts and Service and Sales support when he needs it most. We look forward to continuing to provide Albert’s equipment with excellent service to ensure he can continue on with Albert and Anna’s legacy.

Alanna Farms Ltd. owner Albert Jensen with is wife Cindy Jensen and their children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. Photo Credit: MacDon Performance Stories (macdon.com/performance)