“We are supply chain managers and we are able to beat the bulk system.” – DAVID NYZNYK Margins are thin in the grain business, so exporting in bulk at lower freight rates is a no-brainer, right? Not always says David Nyznyk of Agrifood, a Winnipeg-based grain-shipping company. Agrifood exports grain to Mexico in hopper cars,
Exporter’s Strength Is In Managing Supply Chain
CashPlus Additional Payments Attacked And Defended
Farmers who used the Canadian Wheat Board’s (CWB) CashPlus program to sell malting barley last crop year were shortchanged, according to the Malting Industry Association of Canada (MIAC). However, the board says the allegation doesn’t take all the facts into account and is based on a faulty assumption – that CashPlus barley was sold for
Curtis And Beverly Penner Receive MSGA Award
Curtis and Beverly Penner are 2009 winners of the Outstanding Service Award presented by the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association (MSGA). The award is presented annually to members of the MSGA who have made an outstanding contribution to pedigreed seed industry and are recognized as leaders in their community. Curtis Penner started farming after graduating from
MSGA Honours U Of M Plant Breeder Anita Brûlé-Babel
University of Manitoba plant breeder Anita Brlé-Babel has received an Honorary Life Membership award from the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association (MSGA). The award, presented Dec. 9 at the MSGA annual banquet in Winnipeg, is in recognition of Brlé-Babel’s significant contributions to the pedigreed seed industry. Brlé-Babel specializes in wheat breeding and genetics and teaches several
Deregulation Has Led To System Efficiency
Canada’s grain handling and transportation system is more streamlined and the railways more profitable thanks to partial deregulation, Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corporation told the Fields on Wheels conference Dec. 2. In 2000, federal legislation allowed the railways to charge whatever they wanted to move western grain to export so long as total revenues
Grain Moved At A Record Pace End Of Last Crop Year
“I really do see this as a sustainable model and you’ll see more of it at CP.” – MURRAY HAMILTON The record pace of grain shipping the final half of the last crop year was no fluke according to Canada’s railways, even though some observers suspect the drop in other rail traffic due to the
Crop Diversity Key To Food Security
“There are as many patents for roses and chrysanthemums as there are for the three most important food crops – rice, wheat and maize. What are we to do, feed them chrysanthemums?” – Pat Mooney Pat Mooney, who isn’t known for his optimism, says he finally has some good news. The executive director of the
Patents Won’t Feed People
In the 1970s, the seed trade said it could feed the 500 million hungry people in the world if governments would allow Plant Breeders’ Rights patent protection. Despite those concessions there are a billion hungry in the world now. “Fifty-nine per cent of all of the patents that have been granted have been granted for
CWB Launches WeatherFarm
“This is the future of weather information.” – Ian Whi Te Farmers, whose livelihoods depend on the weather, now have free online access to Canada’s largest private weather network, with more than 700 real-time reporting weather stations across the West. WeatherFarm ( is a collaboration between the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and WeatherBug, an American-based
Canada-EU Trade Talk A “Big Deal”
Everything, including supply management, is still on the table six months into talks between Canada and the European Union (EU) on a trade deal that could be more comprehensive than the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada’s chief negotiator says. “We have agreed from the start everything is on the table,” Steve Verheul of