Rocky View County, AB-Ken and Rebecca Mackenzie are pioneers for the Angus breed. Working along with his four brothers, Ted, Mark, Don and Rodney, the family operation Mackenzie Brothers was the first to import Red Angus genetics–including one herd sire, one cow/calf pair, and two bred heifers–into Canada. As we celebrate 50 years of Red Angus in our herdbook and as Ken and Rebecca prepare for their final bull sale before transitioning their herd to their grandson, we are honoured to recognize their lifetime of commitment to Canadian Angus.
Ken’s grandfather established the Mackenzie farmstead in 1898. The original herd was made up of Shorthorn cattle during their time of popularity in Canada. When that popularity began to decline, the Mackenzie family decided to focus on and retain genetics that supported solid red.
Ken purchased his first cows while attending university. Like many producers today, he also worked off the farm. Ken taught school and his brother Rodney helped a great deal showing cattle. One of their biggest highlights was showing a Chevron cow that placed 21 times and won 17 grand champion titles. Ken and Rebecca‘s grandson Braydon Gough has kept some of this bloodline in the herd. Retirement is taking Ken and Rebecca to Golden, BC. Like many other Angus producers, they will stay involved in the business.
The Canadian Angus Association offers sincere congratulations to Ken and Rebecca Mackenzie. It is because of the dedication of individuals and families like him that the agriculture industry continues to be an important sector in our nation today. The Mackenzie’s final bull sale takes place March 13 at Dawson Creek, BC.
The Canadian Angus Association instituted a long-term recognition award program in 1998 to honour individuals and families that have demonstrated a long-term commitment to the Angus breed in Canada by maintaining a continuous membership in the Association for at least 50 years. In 2011, the award program expanded to recognize families with 75 and 100 continuous years of membership.
The Canadian Angus Association is Canada’s largest purebred beef breed organization. The Association represents more than 2,000 members across Canada for the purposes of registering and recording the pedigrees of purebred Angus cattle in the closed HerdBook and promoting the breed across Canada. The member-approved mandate is to maintain breed registry, breed purity and provide services that enhance the growth and position of the Angus breed.