Some of the $90 million could go to check the accuracy of elevator protein testers and other measures to ensure grain farmers are properly compensated
Distributing a $90-million Canadian Grain Commission surplus through an additional cut in user fees can’t be tracked back to farmers, so the CGC wants to spend the money on measures that can, says assistant chief commissioner Doug Chorney. “Expenditures of the funds that are collected in excess of our fees have to be used in […] Read more
A fund would be cheaper than bonding but it would require changes to the Canada Grain Act
A fund to cover farmers when grain companies fail to pay them is a cheaper way to protect producers than the current ‘bonding’ system, says the Canadian Grain Commission’s assistant chief commissioner Doug Chorney. However, before a change can be made the Canada Grain Act has to be amended and that’s up to the minister […] Read more
Manitoba Agriculture is asking farmers to report suspected cases of the soil-borne disease
A new case of clubroot has been found in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, Manitoba Agriculture says in its Aug. 15 Manitoba Insect & Disease Update. That brings the number of clubroot cases in Manitoba canola fields discovered so far this season to nine. “Manitoba Agriculture continues to encourage growers to scout any areas in […] Read more
Poor cell coverage and high taxes also a concern at KAP advisory council meeting
Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Bill Campbell is urging Manitoba farmers to help one another to find livestock feed for the winter. “Once the combine goes and chops it (grain straw) that field is done (as a feed source),” Campbell said here at KAP’s advisory council meeting Aug. 9. “We need to have some of […] Read more
Manitoba Agriculture wants to hear from farmers who suspect clubroot in their fields
Eight new cases of full-blown clubroot have been found in Manitoba canola fields so far this year but there are likely more. So farmers should be scouting and reporting suspected infections to Manitoba Agriculture, says Manitoba Agriculture pathologist Holly Derksen. “I would definitely say we don’t need to panic,” one of the farmers who discovered […] Read more
Some say excess fees should be refunded, others say they’ll never find their way back to farmers
Western Canada’s grain industry is divided over how the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) wants to use $90 million in surplus service fees. They were ultimately collected from farmers following fee increases ordered by the Harper government in 2013 to make the CGC self-sufficient. Some groups want the money returned to farmers through reduced CGC fees, […] Read more
It’s not 9 to 5 so attracting and keeping conductors is a challenge
CN Rail has hired 1,200 people to be train conductors and after spending about $85,000 training them, the company hopes most decide to stick with it. But it’s not easy attracting and keeping conductors, despite a starting wage of $85,000 a year and a defined benefit pension, says Sean Finn, CN Rail’s executive vice-president of […] Read more
The railway didn’t get everything it wanted in Bill C-49, but it was enough to trigger millions of dollars in capital spending, including 1,000 new high-capacity grain cars
A top CN executive says Bill C-49 is already sparking a wave of grain transportation investments. Both CN and CP Rail have ordered 1,000 new high-capacity grain cars and are investing in other infrastructure to move more grain faster partly due to the legislative changes, says Sean Finn, CN’s executive vice-president of corporate services and […] Read more
Some Manitoba farm exports go almost exclusively to the U.S., raising questions about continued access as Donald Trump expands his global trade war
Manitoba farmers praying for good crops might do well to ask for divine intervention to keep their biggest customer — the United States. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s global trade war heats up, they could find their largest market for many of their products under fire. During the last five years (2013-17) this province’s agricultural […] Read more
The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute issued a paper on what it heard from the industry on the Barton Report
It’s going to be a balancing act between the protection of agriculture safety net programs and the need for innovation as farmers pitch in to meet the goal of growing Canada’s food and agriculture exports. The federal government flagged agriculture as a growth area in the 2017 budget, calling for exporters to grow to $75 […] Read more
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