Harvie Ranching in Alberta: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Harvie Ranching is a three-family purebred cattle operation near Olds, Alberta, raising Polled Hereford, Charolais and Simmental seedstock for commercial cattle producers. The ranch won the Champion Carload of Hereford Bulls at the 2025 National Western Stock Show in Denver, after earning Reserve Champion in its first carload the year before. About 250 cows calve each year, and the program has sold semen and embryos to Europe since the 1980s.
| Location | South of Olds, Alberta foothills |
|---|---|
| Founded | Ian and Marlene Harvie married in 1975 and built the program after moving from the Calgary-Priddis area |
| Sectors | Purebred Polled Hereford, Charolais and Simmental seedstock; bull and female sales; genetics |
| Scale | About 250 cows calve each year, plus roughly 70 head of partnership cattle, per the Western Producer |
| Why it is notable | 2025 Champion Carload of Hereford Bulls at the National Western Stock Show; international genetics sales since the 1980s |
| Ownership | Family: Ian and Marlene Harvie, son Scott and Kerrie, son Cole and Jill |
| Official website | Canadian Cattlemen report on Harvie Ranching at the National Western Stock Show |
History of Harvie Ranching
Ian and Marlene Harvie married in 1975. Rising land costs pushed them from the Calgary-Priddis area to central Alberta, where they settled near Olds. Their sons Scott and Cole joined the operation after college, and the ranch grew into three breeds and an international reputation.
Genetics have travelled for a long time. The family has sold semen and embryos to Europe since the 1980s, according to a Western Producer feature on how three families share the workload in the purebred operation. Today the families work as a partnership, with Ian and Marlene, Scott and Kerrie, and Cole and Jill all involved.
Show-ring and sale results have lifted the ranch in recent years. Harvie Ranching took Reserve Champion with its first carload at the National Western Stock Show in Denver in 2024, and in January 2025 it won the Champion Carload of Hereford Bulls there.
What Harvie Ranching Grows and Raises
The ranch breeds Polled Herefords, Charolais and Simmental. Roughly 250 cows calve each year, and the Western Producer reports that about 70 head are partnership cattle. Bulls are developed for commercial cattle producers who need fertility, structure and performance in a foothills climate.
Harvie Ranching holds a bull sale in the spring and a female sale in the fall, and it has run an internet-only heifer sale. The 2025 bull sale catalogue offered 19 Hereford bulls and 27 Charolais bulls, along with frozen embryo packages, and used online bidding through a livestock marketing service. Bulls could stay at the ranch free until April 1.
At the 2025 National Western Hereford Sale, the pick of the carload, Harvie Front Page, sold to Lindskov Ranch of South Dakota for US$36,500. The runner-up, Harvie Exclusive 43M ET, sold to RSK Farms, Bujold Farms of Manitoba and Steven Knutson of Saskatchewan.
How Harvie Ranching Makes Money
Bull sales
Bull sales are the central revenue stream. Seedstock customers are commercial cow-calf producers who pay a premium for proven genetics, and a spring sale at the ranch lets buyers inspect the bulls in person. Sale totals are not published here.
Female sales and partnership cattle
A fall female sale and partnership cattle arrangements let the ranch share ownership and spread risk, while internet-only heifer sales add reach beyond Alberta.
Genetics and export sales
Frozen embryos and semen are sold domestically and, since the 1980s, to Europe. National Western results help to raise the profile of Harvie genetics with buyers in the United States.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Harvie Ranching
Show-ring and sale-barn results are marketing. A champion carload at a major stock show gives a seedstock ranch third-party proof that commercial buyers can see, and it feeds directly into its own bull sale.
Three families working as one partnership spread labour, capital and management. The Harvies show that a breed mix, regular sale dates and family roles can keep a seedstock program stable across generations.
A ranch that wins a champion carload in Denver and still finds time to serve brisket at the home bull sale has its priorities in order. At farm.FM, our farm satire desk applauds three breeds, three families and one sale barn in the Alberta foothills. Farm humor about a family where everyone has a say in a breeding decision is a gentle subject, so our ranch humor and farm jokes about Hereford versus Charolais loyalty will stay friendly.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Harvie Ranching
Website: https://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/livestock/harvie-ranching-wins-big-at-national-western-stock-show/
No official Harvie Ranching website address was found in the sources reviewed, so the page above is a published news report. Sale catalogues list family contact numbers for sale enquiries; confirm viewing and sale details with the ranch before traveling.
Harvie Ranching Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Harvie Ranching wins big at National Western - Canadian Cattlemen report on the 2025 champion carload
- Partnership thrives: three families share workload - Western Producer feature on the Harvie purebred operation
- Harvie Ranching Bull Sale 2025 - Sale catalogue with offering, dates and bidding details
- Harvie Ranching bull sale catalogue - Canadian Hereford Association publication featuring the ranch
- Harvie Ranching 15th Annual Bull Sale - March 2024 sale catalogue
Harvie Ranching FAQ
Where is Harvie Ranching?
The Western Producer places the ranch south of Olds in the Alberta foothills, and the Canadian Cattlemen report identifies it as Olds, Alberta.
What breeds does Harvie Ranching raise?
Polled Herefords, Charolais and Simmental, according to the Western Producer feature.
Does Harvie Ranching hold bull sales?
Yes. It holds a spring bull sale and a fall female sale, and has run an internet-only heifer sale.
How can I contact Harvie Ranching?
No official website was found in the sources reviewed. Sale catalogues list family contact numbers, so use the current catalogue for sale enquiries.
Harvie Ranching is a good example of a family seedstock program that builds a national reputation on genetics, sales and partnership. For more Canadian operations, browse the Alberta farms guide and the other profiles in this directory.