Co-op is pitching in to help out the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives (MBFI).

The research farm, with three sites near Brandon, will receive $125,000 in funding from Co-op Community Spaces, a funding program supporting recreation, environmental conservation and urban agriculture projects.

“Co-op Community Spaces is an exciting program that is making a difference across Western Canada and we’re delighted to see it come to Brandon,” said Lorne Zacharias, General Manager with Heritage Co-op. “Heritage Co-op is supported and owned by members and customers throughout southwest Manitoba, so it’s important that we give back and make investments in our community and people, which is what Co-op Community Spaces is all about.”

The funding will help support the construction of the Learning Centre of Excellence at the MBFI's Brookdale site. The learning centre will allow producers, industry leaders and the public to better understand on-farm research, food production and agriculture’s role in rural and urban communities.

“This is just wonderful news,” says Ramona Blyth, MBFI chair. “MBFI is a centre of agricultural innovation engaging in science-based research to benefit valuable ecosystems, improve producer profitability and build social awareness around the beef and forage industry.

Blyth says that MBFI’s role is to support a community of collaborative stakeholders to advance agriculture’s future, and connect with the next generation.

“We are really looking forward to working with the great people at Co-op Community Spaces and celebrating their support,” she noted.

The MBFI will also utilize the new facility to provide hands-on training in crop and livestock production, farm product marketing and workshops around safe animal handling.