Plateau Cattle Co. in Alberta: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Plateau Cattle Co. is a family cow-calf ranch in the Nanton area of Alberta, founded in 1959 and named the 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award winner by Alberta Beef Producers. The ranch runs 450 black Angus and Angus cross cows and grazes in the foothills of the Mt. Livingstone Range through grazing cooperatives. Its mix of low-stress handling, third-party sustainability certification and neighbourly infrastructure makes it one of Alberta's best-documented modern ranches.
| Location | Nanton area, Alberta, grazing in the Mt. Livingstone Range |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1959, by John and Shirley Hay |
| Sectors | Cow-calf beef production |
| Scale | 450 black Angus and black Angus cross cows (as published by Alberta Beef Producers) |
| Why it is elite | 2025 Alberta Beef Producers Environmental Stewardship Award; Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Verified Beef Production Plus certifications |
| Ownership | Family; John Smith and Laura Laing took over in 2016 |
| Official website | Alberta Beef Producers announcement of the 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award |
History of Plateau Cattle Co.
Plateau Cattle Co. was established in 1959 by John and Shirley Hay, the grandparents of current owner John Smith. The Hays are credited with helping to advance the Canadian Hereford breed, which gave the ranch an early reputation in cattle circles in the foothills southwest of Nanton.
John Smith and Laura Laing took over in 2016 and have kept the ranch focused on innovation and excellence. In 2018 they installed an internet tower that improved connectivity for their own business and for neighbouring ranches, a small piece of infrastructure that says a lot about how they think about the community around them.
In 2025 Alberta Beef Producers named them winners of the Environmental Stewardship Award, an honour supported by Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Judges weigh land management, water quality, wildlife, animal welfare and community stewardship leadership.
What Plateau Cattle Co. Grows and Raises
The ranch runs 450 black Angus and black Angus cross cows. Summer grazing takes place in the Mt. Livingstone Range, and John and Laura are active members of the Spruce and Waldron Grazing Cooperatives.
Animal welfare is central. The ranch uses cattle handling techniques inspired by Dr. Temple Grandin, which the award coverage says improve both welfare and operational efficiency. It also holds Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef certification and Verified Beef Production Plus, two programs that document sustainability and on-farm practices for buyers and the wider beef supply chain.
The owners keep an open-door policy and mentor other producers in sustainable ranching.
How Plateau Cattle Co. Makes Money
Cow-calf production
Plateau is a commercial cow-calf operation. The published material identifies the herd and breed mix but not the sale channels, calf prices or revenue, so none are stated here.
Certified, documented production
Holding Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Verified Beef Production Plus certification gives the ranch documented credentials that support market access as buyers ask for sustainability proof.
Shared grazing and efficiency
Membership in grazing cooperatives gives access to summer range without owning all of it. Low-stress handling is described as improving efficiency, which supports margins in a business with thin per-head returns.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Plateau Cattle Co.
Plateau shows how a ranch can add value to an old family name by documenting what it already does. Certifications, handling protocols and an award application turn daily practice into evidence that buyers, lenders and neighbours can see.
The second lesson is that cooperation extends capacity. Grazing cooperatives, an internet tower shared with neighbours and an open-door mentoring habit all spread cost and knowledge across several operations. Succession also deserves attention: the 2016 handover from the founding family's next generation to John and Laura kept the ranch's identity while allowing new methods.
Not every ranch can say it improved the whole neighbourhood's wifi, but the folks at Plateau did exactly that with a tower in 2018. At farm.FM, our farm satire writers have long suspected that rural broadband is the real herd health program. Good farm humor needs a straight man, and a Temple Grandin-trained crew moving Angus cows through the foothills makes the calmest one in the business. We save our best ranch humor and farm jokes for the weather, because the cattle at Plateau never seem to need them.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Plateau Cattle Co.
Website: https://abpdaily.com/press-releases/plateau-cattle-co-receives-2025-environmental-stewardship-award/
No official ranch website was found. The page above is the published award announcement. Contact details for the ranch are not published there; approach the ranch through Alberta Beef Producers and confirm any visit in advance.
Plateau Cattle Co. Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- ABP award announcement - Alberta Beef Producers release on the 2025 winner
- Nanton area ranch receives award - Claresholm Local Press coverage of the award
- Alberta Beef Producers Environmental Stewardship Award - Producer group page on the stewardship award that has honoured Alberta ranches since 1992
- Agriculture Financial Services Corporation - Alberta crop insurance, AgriStability, livestock price insurance and farm lending
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a Glance (2021 Census) - Alberta farm counts, farm area, technology use and succession planning from the 2021 Census of Agriculture
Plateau Cattle Co. FAQ
Where is Plateau Cattle Co.?
It is in the Nanton area of Alberta, with summer grazing in the Mt. Livingstone Range.
When was Plateau Cattle Co. founded?
It was established in 1959 by John and Shirley Hay, grandparents of current owner John Smith.
How big is the herd?
Alberta Beef Producers reports 450 black Angus and black Angus cross cows.
What certifications does the ranch hold?
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Verified Beef Production Plus.
Plateau Cattle Co. is a good model of a family ranch that documents its practices and shares its grazing country. Read our Alberta farms guide for the wider context of credit, risk and markets in the province.