Margaree Harbour Resources Ltd. – Brendan and Gerard MacKinnon

Margaree Harbour Resources Ltd is a family farm that is owned and operated by Brendan and Gerard MacKinnon. It is located in Margaree Harbour on the western coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

The farm is a cow/calf operation which has around 100 head of commercial beef cattle. The cow herd is a mainly Simmental based herd and uses 3 bulls. A Simmental bull is used as a maternal sire and 2 Charolais bulls are used as a terminal sire. Over the years, the MacKinnons have been a longtime supporter of the Maritime Beef Testing Society with most of their herd sires having been purchased through the Nappan Bull Sale.

The main calving season on the farm starts mid-November till January with the remaining cow herd calving in March – April. The calves born on the farm are marketed in the fall through Atlantic Stockyards in Truro where they have always performed exceptionally well.

The cattle are pastured at two community pastures in Cape Breton. The cow/calf group is pastured at the community pasture in Cheticamp and the replacement heifers at the community pasture in Mabou.

Brendan and Gerard are part of a non-profit society that operates the Cheticamp Island Community Pasture that is leased from the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board. They also have been involved with the community pasture in Mabou and help out any way they can. The MacKinnons firmly believe that the community pastures in Nova Scotia are a valuable resource for the cattle industry and are an important asset to the rural communities where they are located.

The success of Margaree Harbour Resources Ltd over the years would not be possible without the continued support of our entire family; wives, kids, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. Everyone has a role in this successful operation.