Have you ever wanted to live your days out on a ranch surrounded by vast open fields and cattle? Well, now is your chance. Soderglen Ranch, a high-value ranch in Rocky View County, is up for sale.
Located near Balzac, the ranch features more than 7,000 acres of land. Soderglen Ranch was put up for sale after its owner, Stan Grad, passed on July 29.
Stan was “an ardent outdoorsman. He loved being out on the land riding his horse, surveying the year’s crops, checking the cattle, appreciating the birds on the lake or in the trees, the doe and her new fawns, and all other wildlife.”
He passed away at 78 at the Peter Lougheed Hospital due to complications from a lung infection and cardiac arrest. Stan had been planning to sell Soderglen Ranch months before his death.
Leading the sale is transaction advisor Cam Crawford, who says this is his first time dealing with a sale of this size. After all, Soderglen Ranch is one of Canada’s largest seed stock cattle operations.
Not to mention, the ranch is just 15 minutes north of Calgary. Instead of setting a sale price or using a real estate agent, Soderglen Ranch will accept bids. The property is expected to have an eight-digit price tag.
“There have been large ranches sold in other parts of the province and country that are big, but I think its proximity to two cities makes it particularly unique, and it’s a wonderful property,” Crawford told Airdrie City View.
Crawford is receiving offers left and right from potential buyers in Canada and the United States. Over the next few months, Crawford and Soderglen will accept bids, with a September 30, 2023 deadline.
If you have a few million dollars lying around, Soderglen Ranch might be for you. But you will have to put in the work to make the most of all 7,000 acres.
The ranch has 4,500 acres of high-quality farmland producing annual barley, wheat, hay, and canola crops. Soderglen Ranch also has a world-famous pure-bred cattle breeding reputation.
Those are some big shoes to fill. Cattle operations occur on about 1,200 acres of pasture land, with best-in-class feedlot facilities on another 400 acres.
Feedlots are used to feed cattle to grow and fatten cattle until they reach slaughter weight.
Operations headquarters, facilities, and employee housing are situated on 400 acres of land, and the remaining 500 acres are used as grazing land for cattle.
The area also features a natural ravine, access to Writing Stone Creek, and a pond.
Whoever purchases Soderglen Ranch will struggle to live up to Stan’s legacy. He bought the ranch over 50 years ago before he was 30.
Stan was very accomplished. He was recognized by the Alberta Business Hall of Fame for Southern Alberta and graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary with a diploma in petroleum technology.
He obtained a second degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Wyoming in the United States. Stan co-founded Grad & Walk Energy Corp. and served as president and CEO of Crestar Energy.
Successful, driven, and admirable are just a few words to describe Stan. Hopefully, the next owner of Soderglen Ranch will choose to carry the torch of his legacy.
