Reese family honoured as 2026 BMO Farm Family for County of Warner

Posted on July 16, 2026 by admin

BMO

Change is never easy. However, as the Reese family of Milk River reflects on the past four generations, they feel thankful for the way those changes have unfolded. “We are very grateful that we have been able to transition smoothly from one generation to the next, while still enjoying one another,” share Kevin and Toni Reese. The Reese family is the 2026 BMO Farm Family from the County of Warner. 

The roots of the Reese family were established in southern Alberta when John Reese arrived from Germany in 1928. After working as a logger and farmhand, he had the opportunity in 1932 to rent land near Milk River, where he began a new career in farming. After initially living on the land with three bachelors, he decided a wife was needed so he wrote back to his family in Germany. Shortly after, Amanda arrived to fill the role, and they began building their life as both the farm and their family grew. Their son, Hovey, farmed alongside his father while he and his wife, Betty, raised their family. Their son, Kevin, was born in 1960 and later married his wife, Toni, in 1981. Together, they had three children: Nicole, Andrew and Evan. 

Hovey and Kevin farmed alongside other family members until 1991, when they established Long Grass Ranching at its current location east of Milk River, next to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. “We really live in a beautiful area, and we loved raising our family overlooking the Milk River, where the kids spent hundreds of hours roaming around in the sandstone hoodoos and playing in the river,” shares Toni. In 2000, Hovey stepped back from farming to take care of Betty, who later passed away. 

Kevin and Toni’s son, Andrew, always had an interest in farming and majored in agricultural sciences, where he met his wife, Denise. After graduating, they worked in Australia for three years. “We loved it there,” reflects Andrew. “But it wasn’t the family farm, and we wanted to be back.” They returned to Alberta in 2012, and four years later, Andrew began working full-time alongside his father. He and Denise have three children: Hailey, Emma and Carter. 

As the generations evolved, so did the family’s farming practices. When the ranch was established in 1991, it was predominantly a cow-calf operation, with little to no annual cropping. At the time, the cattle grazed more than 650 acres of irrigated land that was seeded to grass or alfalfa for hay. In 2006, some of the land began to be broken for seed canola. However, only eight years later, almost all their irrigated land was in annual crop production, and the family had started renting dryland crop acres from neighbours. It was a notable change for the operation, as expansion on the crop side was easier to grow while maintaining the same manpower. Today, the Reese family farms up to 5,000 acres of cropland, growing red lentils, yellow peas, durum, winter wheat, seed canola and yellow mustard, while also raising 250 cow-calf pairs. 

As knowledge and awareness of conservation practices grew, the Reese family was quick to learn and implement new approaches. In the 1990s, Kevin began installing alternative water sources to prevent cows from drinking out of the river, followed by enhanced fencing to protect the fragile riparian areas and sandstone rocks within the river valley. Since then, Kevin has spearheaded many water projects, including some with the Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve and the Milk River Grazing Co-op. These projects restrict certain types of water access and pipe water to designated troughs through solar power, helping protect invaluable wetlands while increasing grazing efficiency. “Living right on the river, you can see the drastic effects that even the weather has on the river, and we try to do our part to minimize the impact,” shares Toni. “Our main goal is to preserve this land for future generations; we want to leave it better than how we found it.” 

The Reese family appreciates the close-knit community of Masinasin, and they are always willing to step in and play their part. Toni has been involved in leading youth at their church and, alongside Kevin, is involved in and advocates for the special needs community. Kevin has served in a variety of positions, including local 4-H leader, school council member, director and chairman for the Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve and Milk River Grazing Co-op, and founding member and chairman of the Milk River Water Users Association. He is currently director of the Chinook Gas Co-op. Andrew has also served as director and chairman for the Milk River Grazing Co-op and Border Seed Cleaning Plant, and has been involved with the Milk River Kinsmen Club, Masinasin Recreation Board, youth baseball, curling and 4-H. Denise has served as treasurer for the Milk River Minor League Baseball Association for six years and assists with softball practices, 4-H activities and wherever else she is needed. However, it is not only through formal organizations that the family gives back to their community. It is also through the everyday acts of helping neighbours get to appointments, watering plants, taking care of pets, helping someone preg-check cattle or hauling cows to pasture. 

As Kevin and Toni begin thinking about the next life transition of retirement, they are confident Long Grass Ranching will sustain this change as well. “We are proud of our family and all the work they do, and we are excited to see the farm continue to grow with Andrew and Denise’s family,” they share. “We hope it will continue for many generations to come.”