Academics say GM wheat possible subversion

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency needs to keep investigating the still-unknown variety of genetically modified wheat found in Alberta last year, says the Canadian co-author of an article that speculates on who could have planted it. Rob Wager of Vancouver Island University, who specializes in biochemistry and molecular biology, is the co-author of ‘The Mystery[...]

Measuring changes in the grain transportation system

The business adage that you can’t change what you don’t measure seems to fit the Prairie grain transportation system. In a presentation to the annual conference of the Canadian Agriculture Economics Society, Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp., which tracks the performance of the grain transportation and handling system for Transport Canada, used the numbers[...]


Rail regulation vital to grain farmers

Prairie farmers pay the price when the railways fail to move their grain on time. That was the message farm leaders had too, to the Commons transport committee recently, as part of a pitch to extend temporary competition provisions introduced in 2014 beyond next August 1. “In the 2014-15 year Canadian farmers paid $1.4 billion[...]

Appeal Court reverses CTA rulings against CN

The Federal Court of Appeal has struck down rulings by the Canadian Transportation Agency that CN breached a level-of-service obligation in early 2014. The CTA said the failure was related to supplying two Prairie grain companies with sufficient hopper cars during the frigid early months of 2014. Justice Marc Nadon ruled the CTA “made unreasonable[...]


Transportation bill to be ambitious package

While offering no details, Transport Minister Marc Garneau says seven key issues for the grain sector will be included in a bill on rail service to be introduced in Parliament this spring. In a letter to the Commons transport committee, Garneau said, “I look forward to presenting this legislation, which will support a more transparent,[...]

Canadian wheat growers hit by subsidy effects

Canadian farmers are among those being disadvantaged by wheat subsidies in advanced developing countries like China, India, Turkey and Brazil, according to two U.S. groups. The U.S. Wheat Associates and the U.S. National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) pegged the annual cost to Canadian farmers at about 249,000 tonnes in lost sales and $251.9 million[...]


Grain transportation hot button among wheat growers

The state of grain transportation dominated the recent Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association annual convention in Ottawa last week with producers calling on Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to take action. In a brief presentation to the convention, Ritz said there had to be more accountability in the grain transportation network. Afterwards delegates peppered him with[...]

Menzies says he won’t lobby former government colleagues

New CropLife head says he will focus on dealing with other countries, farm groups and the food industry

Former cabinet minister Ted Menzies brushes off accusations that he intends to use his political connections as president and CEO of CropLife Canada to influence former colleagues. Menzies recently resigned as MP for the southern Alberta riding of McLeod to succeed Lorne Hepworth, a former Saskatchewan agriculture minister, who retires next year. CropLife represents Canada’s[...]


New grains council head faces personal and professional challenges

Richard Phillips has taken over as president of the Canadian Grains Council at a 
difficult time in his own life and one of rapid change in the grain sector

Richard Phillips was expecting plenty of challenges when he took over as president of the Canadian Grains Council. But July 31, his last day as executive director of Grain Growers of Canada, brought him a challenge he hadn’t expected. His doctor told him he had an advanced case of bladder cancer. What was to have[...]

Farmers pay for overdue CGC maintenance

News that the Canadian Grain Commission postponed undertaking millions of dollars in maintenance costs until its cost recovery fees were in place isn’t sitting well with farmers facing huge increases in service costs. Blacklocks Reporter, an online news service, obtained the Canadian Grain Commission Business Plan 2013-14 through federal Access to Information. In it, the[...]