A Manitoba elevator has made the cut as Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s Canadian elevator of the year.
The railway named Cargill Elva in southwestern Manitoba to the honour for the 2023-24 crop year.
Why it matters: CPKC singled out one grain elevator in Canada and one in the United States as their grain elevators of the year in early March. The Canadian winner is just south of Melita, in Manitoba’s far southwestern corner.
Read Also
Manitoba farmers uneasy on expropriation
Farmland expropriation for Oak Bluff highway project brings process, farmer compensation concerns back to the fore.
The Manitoba Cargill facility shares its title with Elbow Lake Co-op Grain in Minnesota.
CPKC selects one grain facility in Canada and one in the U.S. each crop year for its elevator of the year award. The railway said elevators are chosen based on large volumes moved from a single loading point, while also prioritizing efficient railcar loading and safety standards.
The award “honours a commitment to safe and efficient operations in our grain supply chain as we work together to help producers in Canada and the U.S. supply the world with high-quality agricultural products,” said Jonathan Wahba, CPKC senior vice-president sales and marketing — intermodal, automotive and bulk — in a March 3 press release.
It is the first time the Elva facility has been chosen for the award, while Elbow Lake Co-op Grain was also named for the two crop years prior to 2023-24.
The company pointed to Cargill Elva’s “safe and efficient loading operations with each unit-train loaded at the site while moving more than 450,000 metric tonnes of grain,” CPKC said.
A spokesperson from Cargill Elva said that it’s an honour to be named as one of CPKC’s grain elevators of the year.
“We are so proud of the Elva team for their commitment to safety and their passion for serving our customers,” a statement emailed to the Co-operator read.
Jeff Vassart, Cargill Ltd. president, said he appreciates CPKC’s recognition of the Melita team’s efforts to provide farmers with safe, reliable access to markets for their grain.
“Cargill continues to make significant investments in our grain elevator and canola processing facilities to serve Canadian farmers,” he said.
He also pointed to the company’s incoming canola processing facility in Regina, set to open later in 2025.
Elbow Lake Co-op Grain, meanwhile, led the U.S. north network in terms of volume, moving over 543,000 tonnes, an increase from the previous year, CPKC said. The railway also pointed to the facility’s track record shipping corn trains to Mexico.
