The purebred Shorthorn herd started by John Brandt in 1904 is believed to have been the first in the area which in 1905 became the Province of Saskatchewan. Good Shorthorn cattle at the time were extremely rare, especially imported directly from Scotland, and the Brandt herd included a number of these. For several years he was also a breeder of Clydesdale horses.

John Brandt remained a Shorthorn breeder of distinction in the province until 1947. Individuals from his herd were consistent award winners at major shows and exhibitions, and a number of his horses also fared well at these events. He was one of a group of select breeders chosen in 1941 by the Saskatchewan Shorthorn Association to pick a number of bulls for breed improvement in the province, with purchases financed by the Horned Cattle Trust Fund.

He served a term as president of the Saskatchewan Shorthorn Club, and as president of the Saskatchewan Cattle Breeders Association, of which he was a founding member. He was a director of both organizations for many years, also a director of the Canadian Shorthorn Association.

John Brandt served as chairman of the Edenwold school board for a long period of years. He was a member of the group which organized the Lutheran Church at Edenwold, and was its representative on many occasions at local, provincial and international conferences.

The Brandt farmstead was the show place of the district, with its lilac hedges, flower gardens and small fruits orchard.

In recognition of the esteem in which he was held by stockmen, John Brandt was the recipient of an Honour Scroll from the Saskatchewan Live Stock Board, of which he was a member for many years.