Reuters / El Niño weather conditions have emerged but will likely be weak and short lived, New Zealand scientists said Sept. 4.

El Niño is a warming of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific that occurs every four to 12 years.

“Borderline El Niño conditions are present in the tropical Pacific, and a weak, short-lived El Niño is predicted for the spring and summer periods,” the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere said in its latest climate outlook.

Richardson says it’s keen to use Churchill port

Richardson International has loaded its first wheat vessel at Churchill since the end of the CWB marketing monopoly.

The MV New Legend Pearl was loaded with 27,500 tonnes of No. 2 Canadian Western Red Spring wheat on Aug. 25 and set sail for Colombia.

Richardson’s vice-president of export marketing says the Port of Churchill has become “more accessible to us” since CWB lost its monopoly on wheat and export barley.

“Being headquartered in Manitoba, we are pleased to have quickly identified opportunities to make use of Manitoba’s port in the new grain-marketing environment,” said Terry James.

Richardson, which first shipped from Churchill in 1929, is planning more shipments of grains and oilseeds from the port before the close of the shipping season, the company said.