Greg Porozni, the new chair of Cereals Canada.

Chair of new cereals group says it should model itself after canola council

Alberta farmer Greg Porozni says Cereals Canada will focus on research, market development and leveraging dollars

A new organization formed to enhance the domestic and international competitiveness of Canadian cereal grains will focus on collaboration to create value for the entire sector, says the inaugural chair of Cereals Canada. “We as an industry need to have a unified and cohesive voice to represent the entire industry and we haven’t had that


Editorial: Cell companies bad, railways good

Editorial: Cell companies bad, railways good

Just as there’s good stress and bad stress, there’s good excitement and bad excitement. There’s the good excitement you get when watching the Grey Cup, especially if you’re a Riders fan. Then there’s the other kind of excitement (as in riled up) you got watching this year’s Grey Cup commercials about how the Harper government

CWB’s planned purchase of grain handling and port terminal assets from the Soumat arm of Toronto’s Upper Lakes Group Inc. has renewed calls for the wheat board’s contingency fund to be paid to farmers.

CWB facility purchase raises concerns

CWB Ltd. is buying handling facilities, but some farmers are wondering who’s paying the bill. CWB announced last week that it would purchase Mission Terminal, Les Élévateurs des Trois-Rivières and Services Maritimes Laviolette for an undisclosed amount. Some have concerns that the former Canadian Wheat Board’s contingency fund, which farmers claim as theirs, will bankroll


FILE PHOTO

How high can barley yields go?

The Barley 180 research project focused on plant growth regulators, 
nitrogen and fungicides in a bid to grow 180 bushels an acre

They didn’t reach their goal, but researchers in the Barley 180 project came pretty close. “We just said, ‘OK, let’s see if we can hit 180 (bushels per acre).’ And we hit 156,” said Steve Larocque of Beyond Agronomy, an agronomic services company in Three Hills, Alta. Alberta’s Agricultural Research and Extension Council has been

An Aerial View Of The Port Of Churchill, Manitoba.

Churchill gets another booster

The Port of Churchill is getting a boost from the Manitoba government. Legislation to create Churchill Arctic Port Canada Inc., a non-government agency, to develop economic opportunities, spur job creation and ensure the viability of Churchill, was introduced in the Manitoba legislature Nov. 21. OmniTRAX Canada, which owns the port and the railway that serves


KAP president tells ag minister rail service unacceptable

KAP president tells ag minister rail service unacceptable

Gerry Ritz says rail performance, which is being monitored, 
is adequate given the big crop to move

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says he has yet to see conclusive proof that the railways aren’t doing an adequate job moving this year’s bumper crop to market. “I hear a lot of anecdotal evidence and I follow it up and say, ‘give me the car numbers… give me the dates,’ and nobody can, nobody has,”

New grains council head faces personal and professional challenges

Richard Phillips has taken over as president of the Canadian Grains Council at a 
difficult time in his own life and one of rapid change in the grain sector

Richard Phillips was expecting plenty of challenges when he took over as president of the Canadian Grains Council. But July 31, his last day as executive director of Grain Growers of Canada, brought him a challenge he hadn’t expected. His doctor told him he had an advanced case of bladder cancer. What was to have


Farmers, Ottawa put $25.2 million over five years into national wheat research program

Canadian wheat research is getting a boost thanks to $25.2 million in farmer and federal government investment over the next five years. “The primary output will be new varieties, however, there will be other projects that look at breeding tools to support varieties,” said Garth Patterson, executive director of the farmer-funded Western Grains Research Foundation

Producer car shippers bypass plugged elevators

Producer car shippers bypass plugged elevators

A12-car train jerks to a steady rhythm every few seconds as part-time engineer Travis Long ever so slowly “stretches” the newly connected cars, while a roaring hum fills the locomotive’s cab. It’s the satisfying sound of grain moving to market via producer cars on the Boundary Trail Railway Company’s (BTRC) short line — 23 miles