Hope is a powerful state of mind, important now as ever. That’s the message Doug Chorney delivered to Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) staff in a speech Dec. 17. At the time he was the CGC’s acting chief commissioner; Dec. 21 he was appointed chief. “In 1903 my grandfather came to Canada from Poland as a
Praise for Canadian Grain Commission staff during pandemic
Doug Chorney used his family history to underscore the importance of hope in these tough times
Overwintered canola can still have value, but process it quickly
Grain commission released the results of a study it did on canola seeded in 2019 and harvested this spring
Some of the unharvested canola that overwintered in 2019-20 was worth harvesting and processing based on research led by Véronique Barthet, the program manager for oilseeds with the Canadian Grain Commission’s (CGC) Grain Research Laboratory. “Grain handlers and processors had concerns about free fatty acid levels in overwintered canola crops,” Barthet said in a CGC
Thunder Bay — Manitoba’s grain port?
The Lakehead port is handling near-record grain shipments with nine million tonnes moving this season
Manitoba’s grain port is having a stellar shipping season… and we’re not talking about Churchill. Port of Thunder Bay CEO Tim Heney has taken to calling Thunder Bay “Manitoba’s port” because this year most of the grain it handled came from here. “Seventy-four per cent of the seaway’s grain exports are originated now in Manitoba
CGC’s Doug Chorney promoted to chief, Patty Rosher appointed assistant chief commissioner
In addition to its regular work, the grain commissioner and grain act are under review
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has a new chief and assistant chief commissioner. Doug Chorney, the CGC’s acting chief commissioner, has been promoted to chief and Patty Rosher, general manager of the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) since March 2019, is the new assistant chief commissioner. Both appointments were announced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude
The great grain transportation turnaround
From bad to best, Western Canada’s grain-handling and transportation system has made huge improvements in the last 25 years
Twenty-five years ago critics claimed Western Canada had one of the worst grain-handling and transportation systems in the developed world. Yet today it’s among the best, says Canada’s grain monitor Mark Hemmes. Far from perfect, and still vulnerable to costly disruptions, including right now, the system from farm gate to terminal spout has been revamped
Despite earlier shipping records, grain shipping backlog builds
Canada’s railways continued to break grain movement records earlier this crop year. But as welcome as improved rail service has been, those records need to be put into context, says Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA). For starters grain production has been steadily increasing so setting shipping records has to
KAP pushes back on federal carbon tax increase
Farm equipment fuel is exempt from tax, but not grain drying or barn heating
The Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) is calling on federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau to “support farmers and stand up to her government’s recently announced carbon tax increase.” “Putting in place an exemption for fuel used for drying grain and heating and cooling barns, just like the one in place for greenhouses, is a start,” KAP
KAP closer to completing new strategic plan
Details will be presented at the AGM, but there’s a proposal for a ‘grassroots committee’ to explore membership fees and district consolidation
Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) is putting the finishing touches to a new strategic plan. “We really want to cement KAP as the farm policy leader,” Patty Rosher, KAP’s general manager told its online district meeting Nov. 27. “We want to bring the policy discourse up a notch. We need to think about the long-term financial
Prairie farm groups want deadline extended on private rail crossing upgrades
Farmers also don’t want to foot the bill for upgrades and crossing maintenance
Private grade railway crossings must be upgraded to make them safer by Nov. 28, 2021, but Prairie farm groups want the federal government to extend the deadline. The groups also oppose farmers having to pay for the upgrades and ongoing maintenance. “It has traditionally been the responsibility of the railways to maintain and upgrade the
Bibeau says government committed to federal plant breeding
Seed royalty consultations stalled
The Canadian government is committed to plant breeding, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told members of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation on Tuesday. Some farmers and seed industry officials suspect Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) variety development work, along with many other programs, will be on the chopping block post-COVID-19 as the government tackles its
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