There is an exciting and important conference coming to Brandon University this Thursday. BU and the Rural Development Institute are co-hosting a conference on attracting a major soybean processing plant to the Manitoba area. Back in the spring Brandon University partnered up with the Westman Opportunities Leadership Group (WOLG) who was attempting to bring a soybean processing facility to Manitoba.
The WOLG says that in this year alone there were over 3 million acres seeded to soybeans specifically across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. With more and more soybeans being planted in the area the WOLG sees a soybean processing plant as a significant part of Manitoba’s future. The upcoming conference being hosted at BU will see civic and business leaders, government representatives and farmers in attendance. The conference will open up with Senior Consultant to the Plus Group of Cincinnati Ohio, Bob Stroup. Stroup will lead a discussion on the benefits of a potential plant in the region. A lunch keynote address will follow the morning discussion. The selected keynote speaker for the conference is the Manitoba Minister of Agriculture Ralph Eichler. Following the address an afternoon panel session will take place and focus on the potential impacts of a soybean processing plant as well as the challenges that lay ahead. This session will include representatives from Soy Canada, Manitoba Agriculture the Manitoba Pork Council and the Keystone Agricultural Producers. The conference will conclude following the end of the afternoon session.
The soybean processing plant conference is open to all, but individuals must register in advance. There is a $30 cost per person which will cover the lunch and refreshments being served. Registration can be done online through brandonu.ca/wolg-building-opportunities.
Individuals with questions regarding registration can email Financial and Registration services at finreg@brandonu.ca or call 204-727-7313. The conference will take place on November 16th inside Harvest Hall beginning at 8:30AM and concluding at 5:00PM.