About

The Barrhill Feedlot is a custom feeding cattle operation located north of Picture Butte Alberta, Canada. The feed yard has a capacity of about 30,000 head of cattle. We are a finishing feedlot that ships to packing plants located locally and in the U.S.

The feedlot is owned and operated by Kenneth Van Raay. Ken has been apart of the Canadian farming and feedlot industy his whole life. He runs the Barrhill Lot with the help of his wife, Lori, and the feedlot foreman. The feedlot operates day to day with the help of about 20 feedlot and farm employees.

As well as the feedlot, Ken Van Raay owns and farms land to produce feed for the Barrhill Lot. Both corn and barley are grown to create silage for the cattle in the yard. The feeding program at Barrhill is desgined to ensure maximize cattle gains. Ken Van Raay Inc. also grows wheat and canola as cash crops.

The Van Raay Family

Ken was born and raised in southern Alberta in the beef cattle feeding industry. A passionate leader and knowledgeable farmer, Ken has been heavily influential in the Canadian cattle feeding, trucking and farming industries. Lori, who was raised for most of her childhood in Lloydminster, also comes from a farming family. Ken and Lori started their family in 1994 with the birth of their eldest, their daughter Emily. Shortly after, their son, Adam was born. Ken and Lori raised their family in farming & the cattle industry. In 2009, Ken and Lori opened Barrhill Feedlot. Ken and partners, in 2019 and 2020, acquired 3 New Holland dealerships in Lethbridge, High River and Claresholm, Alberta. Ken enjoys motorcycling in his spare time and the whole family enjoys time at their true log cabin in Montana in the summers.

Emily is a graduate of Texas A&M University, earning both her Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science and her Master's Degree in Animal Science, specializing in Beef Cattle Welfare and Behaviour. She now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband Grayson, where she works for Where Food Comes From, providing 3rd party verification services to both the US and Canadian beef industries.

Adam is a graduate of Picture Butte High School & after graduation dove head first in following in his dad's footsteps by getting involved in farming. Adam currently resides on a small acreage north of Picture Butte and works for the family business on the farming crew. Adam enjoys welding and working in the fields during seeding and harvest.