The Praeker Family from Wheatland County and the Town of Strathmore were one of the winners of this year's BMO, Calgary Stampede Farm Family awards.

Herman Praeker, a third generation farmer, runs a mixed operation of crops and cattle.

His parents settled the family farm back in 1911, and he and his wife Barbara took things over in 1981.

Praeker says, unlike a lot of other farmers in Southern Alberta hasn't been feeling the pinch of a dry spring and summer this year.

"We've had good moisture lately. We started out dry and the pastures didn't look great, but the crops are looking wonderful."

He says luckily his hay fields are irrigated, and he's already managed to cut some for winter feed.

Praeker says the biggest changes he's seen in farming are in technology, where his dad started out with horses, he's now using GPS guided machinery to seed and harvest his crop.