New Ducks Unlimited Canada partnership boosts on-farm research in Manitoba

To further support Manitoba farmers, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is providing the use of $1 million in land to expand a research and demonstration centre near Brandon operated by Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives (MBFI).

The Brookdale Research Farm will now include the Odanah Pasture to the north, boosting the farm's size by 42 per cent and increasing opportunities for science and producer activities to advance the forage industry and beef cattle production. With over 6,500 cattle farms in the province, beef is a billion-dollar sector in Manitoba.

The announcement marks two important dates: Manitoba Agriculture Awareness Day on the third Tuesday in March promoting the sector's economic, social and environmental contributions; and the third annual DUC Day on March 17, enacted by provincial legislation to acknowledge DUC's conservation leadership.

"Ducks Unlimited Canada has been a champion for Manitoba farmers since we began operations in 1938," says DUC Head of Communications and Outreach – Prairies, Karli Reimer. "This land partnership builds upon that history of collaboration, providing opportunity for new research to make farms more profitable and resilient."

Located in the Rural Municipality of Minto-Odanah, the 467 acres were acquired by DUC in 2020 through a private sale funded by conservation-minded government agencies in Canada and the USA including Manitoba's Conservation Trust. As DUC restored drained wetlands and uplands previously used for crop production to their natural state, the exciting opportunity to expand research capacity was recognized. Discussions began with MBFI on long-term use of the Odanah Pasture, which is primarily grassland with 123 wetland basins.

"It's a blank canvas, ready for us to approach projects in new ways," says MBFI General Manager Mary-Jane Orr. "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."