In Canadian agriculture, our reputation as a global supplier relies on dependability, predictability and precision.
While a recent Manitoba Co-operator article highlighted record volumes of Canadian agricultural exports as evidence of supply chain success, it missed a critical point: volume alone doesn’t equal effectiveness or reliability.
Moving more grain year over year is a good thing, but it is only one of the metrics that helps Canada keep our customers.
Using simple volume comparisons from previous calendar or crop years can mask the deeper structural weaknesses in Canada’s agri-food transportation and logistics systems — weaknesses that directly threaten our competitive standing and international reputation.
Read Also
Beekeepers frustrated with denial on U.S. bulk bees
Heavy winter loss of Canadian bees has some beekeepers calling for the reopening of trade for packaged bees from the United States, but others in the industry are still wary of imported pest issues.
And this is the crux of the matter: moving more grain doesn’t automatically equate to providing good service.
The most critical factor isn’t volume, it’s timing.
Farmers, grain companies and exporters rely on railways to move grain efficiently during the high-demand shipping season from September to January.
Our global customers measure Canada’s success not merely by tonnage shipped but by our ability to meet their demand during this peak season predictably, reliably and on time.
To put it another way, restaurant patrons don’t rave about a meal that shows up cold and an hour late just because the portion size was generous.
If Canadian exporters consistently fall short on timing, global buyers quickly turn to more reliable competitors.
Relying solely on annual volume statistics can mask critical shortcomings. The reality is that Canada’s agricultural supply chain frequently struggles to maintain the orderly flow and timeliness required by international buyers.
Without targeted solutions based on the metrics that matter, Canada risks losing market share precisely when geopolitical shifts demand we solidify our global reputation.
Government and industry leaders need to ask whether Canada’s supply chains consistently and reliably meet customer expectations at peak demand periods. Do our customers see Canada as predictable and trustworthy or as a supplier whose performance is uncertain, varying from season to season?
That’s why for the past 10 years, the Ag Transport Coalition has focused on order fulfillment — a performance metric that tells us how reliably railways are supplying the cars that are needed.
These performance metrics allow us to measure whether railways are delivering the equipment we need, when and where we need it.
By sharing this data publicly, we provide both the grain sector and our supply chain partners with a transparent foundation for dialogue. When the system is working well, we see it clearly in the numbers. But just as clearly, we can identify when performance is slipping — or worse, systematically failing.
When order fulfillment falters, as was frequently seen this grain year, the consequences are not abstract — they are tangible and costly.
One clear example comes from the Port of Vancouver, where vessel counts — a key stress indicator — peaked three times this year. While one of those spikes was linked to a labour disruption (the GWU strike), the most significant occurred in mid-January.
That spike followed months of declining on-time rail performance. By Week 32 of the crop year, there were 40 vessels waiting — double what we would normally expect.
That’s not just a port problem. It’s a sign that the entire grain supply chain is under stress when we need it the most — a problem that needs urgent attention from industry and government alike.
Global grain markets are unforgiving. Buyers seek certainty, and trust is earned through reliability, not tonnage alone.
It’s time for Canada to move past tonnage as its measurement of supply chain success. Dependability, precision and predictability must become our true benchmarks for supply chain excellence.
The Ag Transport Coalition is a joint venture between Canadian farm groups aimed at boosting competitiveness in theagricultural supply chain.
