Alberta family documents their new life in the countryside

Feb 16, 2018

Ashley Berndt and her family moved from Leduc to Millet

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

An Alberta family is using online platforms to show their transition from life in the city to life in the countryside.

Ashley Berndt, her partner Shayne Kirkland and their blended family moved from the city of Leduc, Alta., with a population of more than 55,000, to the town of Millet, Alta., which has a population of about 2,000.

And the family notice differences between the two settings, they said.

“(We feel) calm, relaxed (and) happy,” Berndt told CTV yesterday.

“Safe. Like the world stops at the (farm) gate,” Kirkland added.

The family has developed an interest in homesteading over the last year and decided to share their journey online.

Berndt’s nine-video YouTube channel, City Girl Homestead, consists of videos about chopping wood, feeding horses and fire safety. The family also uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and a WordPress blog to engage with interested followers.

The idea transformed from a small project last year to a full-on family undertaking. And the children are eager to share their new skills with viewers and readers, Berndt said.

The kids are “learning so much and we’re doing it as a family and that’s kind of the most important thing,” she told CTV. “It’s bringing us together in such a way we never thought would happen.”

Some of the kids have also developed new skills.

Audrey, their oldest daughter, is keen on editing and mentioned pursuing a career in radio, Kirkland told CTV, adding the boys are learning how to use manual and power tools.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.