Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives receives provincial award

A provincial project for research and development in the beef industry is being noted for its efforts fostering excellence and meeting public needs through improved programs and services for Manitobans.

Last week at the province's Manitoba Service Excellence awards in Winnipeg, Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) received the Partnership Award.

"(This) is a very prestigious award that we were very excited and very honoured to receive," says MBFI president Ramona Blyth.             

MBFI is a collaborative project between Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers, Ducks Unlimited, and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, aiming to test risky projects that producers don't want to try on their own farms. The project encompasses 1300 acres at three sites in the Brandon area.

MBFI's research projects began last summer, and Blyth says so far things are going well.

"They're very busy working on different research projects," she says, "every day is new and exciting as they work through the projects and collect data and information so they can showcase that at the end of the projects — or in the midst of (the projects) when we have our Production Day tours."

The aforementioned tours are a partnership between McDonald's Canada and MBFI. Back in February, the two groups announced the launch of the McDonald's Production Day Tour, which will be an annual event to engage producers, stakeholders, and the public. This year's tour is planned for July.