04/07/2026
🌾 Congratulations to the 2026 BMO Farm Family Award Winners for Starland County! 🌾
Starland County is proud to recognize Gridley Farms as the recipients of the 2026 Farm Family Award. This award celebrates farm families who demonstrate excellence in agriculture, strong community involvement, and a commitment to stewardship of the land.
Despite not growing up as sons of a career farmer, the Gridley brothers found their calling and created a pathway forward in a career and way of life that most farmers find themselves born into. “We feel grateful that we have been able to establish this farm and lifestyle when most people said that we couldn’t,” reflects Randy Gridley. Starting to farm full-time in the 1990s, they have established strong roots in the industry and community. Randy and his brother, Marty, along with their families, are the 2026 BMO Farm Family from Starland County.
The Gridley's established their roots in Southern Alberta in 1909 when they homesteaded after arriving from Hagerman, Idaho. Randy and Marty’s grandparents worked full-time on their small farm in Starland County. However, when it came time to divide the land, since there were seven children, it didn’t leave much land to sustain a full-time farming operation for any of them. Therefore, Randy and Marty’s parents – Halley and Marie – started more of a hobby farm on the homestead in the 1970s while Halley attended the University of Calgary and taught full-time in Byemore and Donalda. However, through visits to their grandparents’ farm and spending time working on their parents’ hobby farm, farming became a passion and career that the Gridley brothers wanted to pursue.
However, with only around 400 acres and poor land conditions, it wasn’t a simple transition. “I remember my grandfather telling me, ‘That’s good if you want to be a farmer, but this land is too poor and you’ll have to get some better land,’” Randy recalls. Randy credits being young and not knowing any better for jumping feet-first into establishing a first-generation farm. “In the late 1980s/early 1990s it was a tough time for everyone in the industry, so we didn’t know any different,” shares Randy, “but the toughest part was the lack of experience and equity.” Randy got started and was joined by his brother, Marty, a few years later. Through hard work and dedication, they steadily grew their operation – a large part through land rentals – from 1,600 acres farmed in 1991 to 8,500 acres farmed today. Now the operation is something that their entire families are involved with. Randy and Melanie have four children – Kennady, Kyra, Karson & Kyle; and Marty and Alenda have three children – Sam, Charlese and Gillian. Both oldest sons – Kyle and Sam – are now involved in the day-to-day operations. Alenda’s father, Dennis Roll, also comes to help drive truck and help when needed.
The Gridley's farm a dryland crop operation focused mainly on wheat, barley, canola and pulses. Their grain farm operates with a focus on regenerative agriculture and an emphasis on soil health, through practices such as minimum till and advanced w**d control through sectional controls. The Gridleys recognize that continued education and learning is a key component to their farm being more economical and sustainable. Through utilization and implementation of resources, such as agronomy knowledge and the 4Rs framework for fertilization application, it helps them align with the economic and environmental components of sustainable agriculture. “Because we don’t have a lot of assets, a big part of our farm is whatever drives profitability,” says Randy. “We have found keeping a focus on regenerative agriculture, continued learning, technology and safe farm practices have been a key part of that, while also balancing it with environmental stewardship. We believe farming is more than a job – it is a way of life built on providing healthy, nutritious food and caring for the land.”
Along with starting fresh in the farming industry, the Gridley's also transplanted themselves into the community and have since played an integral part. One of their main commitments is serving as volunteer firefighters with the Morrin Fire Department. Randy, Marty, Kyle, Sam and Charlese are members of the department and commit to weekly training and being on-call for various incidents. While working on the farm full-time, work can often come to a halt when they get called out; despite the conflicts, the Gridleys see firefighting as a vital way to give back to their community. In addition, Alenda is a member of the Village of Morrin Library Board; and she and Melanie have been part of the Morrin School Parent Council. The Gridley family has also been involved in the Morrin and Rumsey Ag Societies, Morrin Figure Skating Club and the through the local 4-H club, even continuing to help with judging public speaking.
Looking back, the Gridley's are first to admit that it isn’t easy to start farming at any time, but they “wouldn’t change anything” in how their operation has progressed over the years. However, while great to reflect, they remained focused on the future. “We aim to strengthen our operation and play a positive role in the future of agriculture and global food security,” summarizes Randy.
Thank you, Gridley Family, for your dedication to agriculture and for making a lasting contribution to our rural community. 👏🚜
