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Friday, March 20, 2026

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DUC and MBFI partnership

expands Brookdale Research Farm by 467 acres

By Banner Staff

A major announcement was made for the Agricultural sector this week. On Monday, Mar. 16, a partnership providing $1 million worth of land was announced between Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives (MBFI), dedicated to the Brookdale Research Farm.
The Brookdale Research Farm is a research and demonstration centre located west of Brookdale, at the corner of Highway #10 and Provincial Road 353.
In a press release provided by DUC, the conservation organization noted that this partnership expands the operation’s size by 42 per cent, as it will now include the 467 acre Odanah Pasture to the north, in the Rural Municipality of Minto Odanah. The area, which DUC had acquired via a private sale in 2020, primarily contains grassland. It also includes 123 wetland basins.

‘Better research

to help producers’

DUC and MBFI anticipate this expansion to increase opportunities for science and producer activities, and to “advance the forage industry and beef cattle production”.

“Ducks Unlimited Canada has been a champion for Manitoba farmers since we began operations in 1938,” said Karli Reimer, DUC’s Head of Communications and Outreach – Prairies. “This land partnership builds upon that history of collaboration, providing opportunity for new research to make farms more profitable and resilient.”
MBFI General Manager Mary-Jane Orr added, “It’s a blank canvas ready for us to approach projects in new ways. This land provides the opportunity to ask questions on a commercial scale. The benefit will be more representative of the context of beef operations, which ultimately means better research to help producers.”

According to the release, MBFI has engaged with producers, industry representatives, and academic researchers to guide the direction of the new land’s usage.

For the full story, please see Page 2 and Page 7 of this week's paper!