Revolutionizing Ranching

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

The Stewart Family’s Sustainable Approach to Modern Agriculture

By Mary Loggan

In Southwest Saskatchewan, Erika and Cyle Stewart are redefining modern ranching at Pine Ranch. The couple, named Saskatchewan's Outstanding Young Farmers in 2024, has transformed their operation into a beacon of sustainable agriculture, setting new standards for the industry while inspiring a new generation of farmers.

In an era where industrial agriculture often prioritizes short-term gains over sustainability, Erika and Cyle have chosen a different path. They've embraced a holistic approach to ranching that considers not just their cattle's health but also the soil's vitality, the biodiversity of their land, and the well-being of the broader ecosystem.

Ranch beginnings

The Stewarts’ journey began with a bold move in 2017: They relocated their entire operation from Merritt, B.C., to Morse, Sask. This transition was driven by their search for new opportunities and growth potential. Despite the challenges of starting anew in unfamiliar territory, the couple saw promise in the Prairies.

The pair now run a successful commercial cow/calf operation with their three daughters, Macy, Hazel, Rhesa, and Erika’s parents, Bill and Terry.

“Running a ranch is very much a family business for us,” Erika says. “We all play a significant role, and each role has value.”

Cyle adds, “Everything is run as a democracy here; no one holds more power than another. We like to have open conversations and do decision-making together.”

The ranch generally has no employees and relies on family, horses, and cattle dogs to run its operations.

“We train our horses and dogs to move the cattle. This saves us money on employees and is something we enjoy doing,” Erika says.

With 300 Hereford and Angus cow-calf pairs and 150 yearlings, the Stewarts run 5,524 acres on 34 quarters, allowing for rotational grazing practices that help maximize pasture productivity. In their tame-forage fields, smaller paddocks facilitate high intensity grazing with frequent moves, high stocking density, and longer rest periods. When the tame pasture has been grazed, the cattle don't return for at least a year.

Adapting to new practices

“We are always looking for ways to learn and improve our management practices, whether it's grazing, soil health or cattle nutrition,” Erika says.

The Stewarts have embraced Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) grazing, a method that allows longer pasture rest periods and promotes soil health.

“This approach has benefited the land and enhanced cattle nutrition and productivity. We have seen such a difference. Giving the paddocks time to regrow allows the pasture to keep its value.

“Even in the wintertime, we can manage which grasses will still have nutrition,” Erika points out.

She says the improvements have dramatically increased their grazing management capabilities, allowing them to utilize their land more efficiently.

The Stewarts adapted this approach by extensively studying their environment and wanting to maximize their resources.

Cyle says, “We wanted to go above and beyond the status quo. We were familiar with conventional ways of doing things and wanted to see how to improve them to suit our operation.

“We wanted to look at things from a different lens.”

These innovations extend beyond grazing practices. They've implemented a comprehensive soil health program, regularly testing and amending their soil to ensure optimal conditions for grass growth.

They also learned to adapt by experimenting with cover cropping, using a diverse mix of plants to improve soil structure and provide additional forage for their cattle.

“We were able to learn from this and build on it. It made us mindful of what works best for our land and what we must bring into our operation, like purchasing good quality hay to supplement our grazing,” Erika says.

The couple has also invested in cutting-edge water infrastructure, including shallow buried pipelines connected to portable troughs.

“We plan to invest in the pipelines throughout the entire ranch, as this will make pasture management even more straightforward,” Cyle adds.

“You can have all the grass in the world, but if you don’t have water, you are out of luck.”

In addition, the ranch adopted low-stress handling practices. This means taking the time to sort cattle more slowly but making the process as stress-free as possible.

Cyle explains, “We always try to be fair when it comes to our animals, and when using these handling practices, we really notice a difference – and we even find it more productive.

“The whole experience of moving cattle is less stressful for everyone, and our family even enjoys it now.

“Doing things this way also means we keep cortisol levels down in our livestock, which is important.

“This is a unique sector. We don’t have to produce a certain way and have lots of freedom, so why not take advantage of it?”

Challenges

Erika points out that the path to success hasn't been without hurdles.

“In this business, there are always things you can’t control, but weather has always been one of those challenges, as we have had drought conditions for the past seven years.

“Unfortunately, that is just the reality of living where we do, and we do what we can to manage what we are given.”

She says that adapting to weather conditions involves a learning curve. They sought advice from established ranchers, attended local agricultural workshops, and even brought in soil scientists to help them better understand their land.

Additionally, she adds that dealing with drought conditions helped them determine where their operations needed improvement or were deficient.

“With the drought, we see the parts of the operation that needed more attention, and it made us want to take the steps to learn how we can do better.

“It made us want to drought-proof our operation and ensure we had the management techniques to adapt, and that’s what we did.”

The Stewarts explain that this made them much more flexible in their practices, grazing rotations, and use of supplemental feed.

They point out that another challenge is the lack of education about agriculture today. To address this, Erika has taken to YouTube, producing videos that offer an authentic look into life on Pine Ranch.

“It hadn’t dawned on me before then that some people don’t have experience or know first-hand where their food comes from. Even though we all interact with food daily, most don’t know how it is produced.

“We want to continue producing quality food and have people not from the industry understand it.”

Cyle also explains, “There are now so many generations of people who are removed from agriculture, which means many are misinformed on practices and how the industry works.”

In doing this, they hope to educate those who influence policy to understand farmers' needs and how taxes, regulations, and land acquisitions impact them.

Financial management has also been a constant challenge. Implementing new practices and technologies requires significant investment, and the Stewarts have had to be creative in their approach to financing.

"We've learned to be strategic about our investments," Erika says.

"We prioritize improvements that will have the most significant impact on our sustainability and profitability.”

Cyle adds, “There are always risks when changing things, but we are lucky to adapt because not everyone has the resources. We take advantage of our opportunities and always try to find the practices we feel work best for our situation.

“I also believe that to be successful on the ranch, you must be sustainable in three areas: Animal performance, financials, and communication. You’ll be better equipped to handle challenges if all three pillars work together.”

A look at the future

As they continue to innovate and adapt, the Stewarts remain focused on the long-term sustainability of their operation.

“We have lots of goals for the future,” Erika says.

“We plan to extend our grazing program and continue to restore soil health and biodiversity on our land.

“We want to expand on what we have started and keep looking for ways to improve our operation and even maximize it further.

“The hope is that we can continue our holistic approach to making decisions on the ranch that are both sustainable and profitable.”

At the end of the day, Cyle says, “We want to make our grass and cattle more productive; this makes everyone happy.”

He adds, “We’ve learned so much through trial and error, which helped us understand the land and the things that work best for the environment.

“It is also important to remember that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ Our goals may take time, but we can be confident in every small step we make.”

Cyle points out that learning from others and having a great network of rancher connections – built by attending agricultural meetings and conferences – has also been beneficial.

“Everyone has different goals, but you can learn so much from other people's experiences and how they do things.

“By having these connections, there are endless opportunities to learn and ask questions. We have such great people around us, and we hope to continue to improve and adapt.”

The Stewarts aim to keep evolving their operation and continue making ranching a rewarding and sustainable way of life for their family and beyond. BF