You have probably seen many farms in Alberta while your driving down the road. Farms are an area of land that is used to grow some type of crop (wheat or barley) or raise some type of animal like cows, sheep, pigs, or chickens. Farming is a business. Farmers sell what they grow so that they and their families can survive. Farming is one of the most important forms of business in Alberta and the world. Alberta wheat and beef are well known all over the world.
Until 1900 the Canadian West had remained largely under-populated, and so the federal government began an intensive settlement program offering cheap land and social and religious freedom. At the turn of the century, a homesteading entry cost $10 for a 160 acre piece of land, and title to that property could be obtained after three years - provided that settlers lived on the land at least six months out of each of their first three years in Canada, that they cultivated at least 40 acres of land on their homestead, and built a house on their property. If the initial 160 acres was not sufficient, adjoining quarters could be purchased at a rate of $3/acre.
For more information on farming and homesteading click here.
Arthur Henry Pope breaking land at Pine Lake, Alberta.
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