WebinarJul 8, 2025

BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar: Beausejour-Brokenhead, Manitoba

On June 5th, 2024, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative, in collaboration with TheDigest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting an investment grade BDO Zone community in Canada: Beausejour-Brokenhead, Manitoba rated ‘A’ for Wheat Straw.

The webinar was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest, and featured key insights from Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative. Participants included Kaitlen Cunningham, Economic Development and Marketing Officer, Beausejour Brokenhead Development Corporation, and Sheila Mowat, Chief Administrative Officer, Rural Municipality of Brokenhead. The webinar underscored the regions abundant biomass resources, robust infrastructure, shovel-ready sites and attractive local incentives, positioning this BDO Zones as a prime location for biobased projects seeking a reliable supply of wheat straw.

BDO ZoneCONNECT, a joint initiative with The Daily Digest, aims to facilitate connections and stimulate development interest within BDO Zone communities. It serves as a catalyst for networking, sharing new BDO Zone ratings, and attracting a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.

Get a BDO Zone Rating

Summary of Presenter Remarks

Marian Marinescu, Project Director, Ecostrat:

“Our rated quantity of 150,000 oven-dried tons (ODT) per year ensures sustainable, ecologically sound wheat straw utilization.” This represents approximately 13% of the 1.1 million ODT generated annually in the BDO Zone.
“The rated delivered price for wheat straw ranges from $125 to $145 per ODT, or about $48 to $56 per bale.”
“Wheat producers in the BDO Zone often work with high-efficiency custom baling companies. Outreach indicates existing capacity to scale up supply to support a new project.”
“There’s a 70-acre parcel of industrial land near Beausejour, Manitoba that offers a prime location for new bio-industrial development, benefiting from highway and rail access, utilities, and a lower cost of living.”

Kaitlen Cunningham, Economic Development and Marketing Officer, Beausejour Brokenhead Development Corporation:

“We have about 2,700 farms in the region, with grain crops being the most common accounting for roughly 40% of all farms.”
“Wheat is the number one grain crop produced here. Hard red spring wheat dominates, grown without irrigation and under both no-till and tillage practices.”
“Local producers have deep experience in cultivating these varieties to suit local climate and soil conditions, as well as market demands.”

Sheila Mowat, Chief Administrative Officer, Rural Municipality of Brokenhead:

“We have generational farmers here, and everyone knows everyone. So when a new industry comes in, there’s a strong community base that will support the project, if farmers are given the right incentives.”
“Farmers can adapt how straw is handled at harvest to customize it for industry needs. That kind of flexibility is huge for incoming industries.”

For more information on the Beausejour-Brokenhead, MB, BDO Zone, and for their slide deck, resources are available through the BDO Zone Initiative website.

Contact Information:

Kaitlen Cunningham, BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) and Economic Development and Marketing Officer, Beausejour Brokenhead Development Corporation (bbdc@bbdcbiz.ca).

Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative (aryn@ecostrat.com).

Originally published at bdozone.org.