Farm Credit Canada Steps Up for Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives

Brookdale MBFI Learning Centre receives $25,000 in valuable funding

Brandon, Manitoba - Construction of the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives (MBFI) Learning Centre has received a boost with the generous donation of $25,000 from Farm Credit Canada (FCC).

“Through FCC’s AgriSpirit Fund, we are proud to be a partner in the construction of the Learning Centre,” said Wilco van Meijl, director of FCC’s Brandon District office, at the recent cheque presentation that took place at the farm. “As a beef producer myself, I am looking forward to the great things that will come out of this facility.” 

The MBFI Learning Centre is under construction at the Brookdale Research Farm and is on schedule for completion by the next growing season in 2018. The Learning Centre will be used to engage stakeholders and bring them into a comfortable learning environment that operates hand-in-hand with MBFI’s farm and interactive cattle-handling facilities. The Learning Centre will include a meeting room with modern teaching equipment, food prep area, office space, and an interpretive gallery. This facility will have far-reaching visibility and will be used year-round by local clubs, producer peer groups, MBFI partners, partnering organizations, sponsors, universities, colleges, and elementary and high school students.

“This is very important donation at a key juncture for the MBFI Learning Centre,” said Ramona Blyth, MBFI President. “As anyone can predict, a project of this magnitude needs a lot of generosity from the farm community and we are thrilled to see FCC step forward to help us reach our greatest potential with the Learning Centre as a key part of MBFI.”

Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives is a Brandon-based collaborative effort between Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, with input and leadership from producers, academia and other industry stakeholders across Canada. MBFI is the result of industry demand for change and the need for strategic long-term partnerships for the agricultural sector as a whole.

For More Information: Duncan Morrison, MBFI Communications, 204-770-3548

Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives was the recipient of a generous $25,000 donation from Farm Credit Canada recently. The funds will go towards the construction of MBFI’s Learning Centre at its Brookdale Research Farm. From left to right: Ken Gross, Ducks Unlimited; Kristelle Harper, MFGA representative; Ramona Blyth, MBFI President and Manitoba Beef Producers director; Joyce Wilyshyn, FCC relationship management associate; Wilco Van Meijl, FCC Brandon district director and Glenn Friesen, Manitoba Agriculture.