BMO FARM FAMILY AWARD: Simkin Ranches
Simkin Family / Simkin Ranches - Roots to come home to, but branches to grow
SPECIAL AREAS NO. 4 - Sue Simkin feels that life on the ranch has been the best foundation and classroom for her three children and grandchildren. “Ranching makes them thinkers, as you have to figure out things on your own to make it more efficient and easier,” reflects Sue. “But more importantly, it gave them the roots to come home to, but the branches to grow.” The Simkin family is the 2025 BMO Farm Family from Special Area No. 4.
Simkin Family: (L to R) Mark, Lillian, Donna, and Jaxon Simkin, Emily Simkin, Adam Dinniss, Sue Simkin, Gavin Dinniss.
Sue and her late husband, John Simkin, have deep roots in ranching in Southern Alberta. John’s grandfather originally came from Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 1908, looking for new farming opportunities in the Special Areas. Now the Simkins have reached the milestone of five generations of ranchers in the same area. John grew up on this farm, which his father later operated, and Sue was raised on Copithorne Ranches in Cochrane. After university, John came home to start ranching alongside his father and brother. However, John’s passion was always the cattle, and a couple of years after marrying Sue, they moved to Hemaruka to grow their ranch of Hereford cattle. For 39 years, they ranched in Hemaruka, calving out about 800 calves annually at their peak in the 1980s.
In 2009, after John was diagnosed with cancer, John and Sue decided to downsize to make the work more manageable. In 2014, they sold the ranch and a portion of the cattle and moved to Veteran. They ran a smaller herd of cattle—around 250 cow-calf pairs—with the idea of continuing to downsize. “However, I couldn’t keep my rancher from not ranching,” Sue recalls. In 2019, their son, Mark, and his wife, Donna, along with their two children, Lillian and Jaxon, returned to the farm after Mark’s career in the oilfield to help run the ranch. Unfortunately, John passed away later that year, but Sue, Mark and Donna continued operating the ranch. In 2017, Sue’s grandson, Adam Dinniss, came from New Zealand to finish high school and participate in high school rodeo. After graduating in December 2024, he started working full-time on the ranch. John and Sue’s daughters, Emily and Jill, were also active on the ranch growing up and still helped with branding and other work on the ranch as needed. “I’m so glad my family came back so I can still do what I love,” shares Sue. “I wouldn’t be doing it without them.”
Simkin Ranch still runs a cow-calf operation of around 300 pairs, and they background their own calves. Everything they grow is for cattle feed or silage, which includes barley, soft white wheat, oats, and they have even tried some other interesting grazing alternatives. They utilize rotational grazing to conserve their grasslands, as almost one-third of their land is native grassland, and the rest is haying and cropland. They also use water pumps to conserve water and keep their dugouts clean, and swath grazing in the winters.
The Simkins also play their part in their small community. Sue coached basketball when her kids were younger and is currently volunteering at the library, where she has served on the Marigold Library board for 14 years. Mark coaches baseball and hockey. Donna coaches volleyball, is also responsible for the hot lunch program at Veteran School and is on the parent council.
Sue is grateful that the ranch serves as a strong foundation and classroom for the next generation of Simkins—Adam, Lillian, Jaxson, and her other grandchildren. “It’s been amazing to see them check cows, bottle feed calves, and just take to the ranching life,” Sue shares. “I can’t wait to see what life lessons the ranch will bring them as well.”