farmer in a field of wheat

Editorial: The real deal to watch

There has been quite the media hullabaloo lately over rumours that a large multinational based in the U.S. might be closing in on a deal with CWB, the much abbreviated version of the former Canadian Wheat Board. Whether this rumoured deal is a partnership or acquisition depends on who’s talking, but in reality, it doesn’t

paterson grain terminal sign

Farmers, grain companies want federal government to continue railway shipping targets

Ritz’s office says he and the transport minister haven’t made a decision yet

Farm groups and grain companies said last week their grain transportation woes are far from over as the federal government considers whether to keep or lift minimum movement orders for the railways. In an emailed statement Oct. 31, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s office appeared to backtrack from a news story earlier in the week saying


photo: lorraine stevenson

Puttin’ on the Ritz: are the railways next?

Gerry Ritz won the wheat board battle, now it’s time for a new challenge

Gerry Ritz slew the Canadian Wheat Board, but can he rein in the railways? If anyone can, it’s Canada’s 33rd minister of agriculture. It won’t be easy, but neither was ending the wheat board’s 69-year-old monopoly. Ritz had help. Key was Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had a deep disdain for the board and made

Viterra files service complaint against CN Rail to CTA

A trickle of cases alleging inadequate rail service for grain could turn into a torrent

Viterra is the latest organization headed to transportation court seeking better rail service for grain. It filed a level-of-service complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) against CN Rail June 20 alleging the railway breached its level-of-service obligations by failing to provide cars in accordance with CN’s car-rationing plan. Industry observers don’t expect it to


Man speaking into microphone.

The $10-billion ‘problem’ Canada likes to have

Last year’s record crop is a sign of bigger things to come, industry leaders say

Last year’s record 75-million-tonne crop highlights the need for investments in expanded grain-handling capacity, industry leaders told the Canadian Global Crop Symposium April 15 in Winnipeg. “That means we’re going to have to invest… in new capacity,” said Curt Vossen, president and CEO of Richardson International. “And we’re going to have to invest, whether we

Doug Chorney

Manitoba grain starting to move to Thunder Bay, ships on the way

Farmers are being warned to get grain into proper storage before the ground thaws

Grain needs to be moved to safe storage before the spring thaw or it could spoil, warns Digvir Jayas, a grain-handling and storage expert at the University of Manitoba. It’s unknown how much Manitoba grain is stored on the ground, in machine sheds or silo bags instead of conventional bins. The good news is grain


Man speaking into microphone.

Grain bin listings available to farmers facing spring floods

With spring officially here, producers in flood-prone areas 
will need to move grain to higher ground

The Manitoba government has launched a grain bin listing service to assist farmers who may have to move grain out of the way of spring flooding. “Our first priority is getting this grain moving, but secondly, we need to ensure we have ample space should farmers need emergency alternate locations for at-risk grain in flood-prone

Farmer blowing snow with a tractor.

Transportation crisis boosts grain company profits

There’s an extraordinary difference between country and port prices

Farmers unable to move crops this winter have had plenty of time to notice the difference between what grain companies are paying in the country and selling for off the West Coast. “Our calculations demonstrate the grain companies have taken over $1.6 billion in excess profits from wheat alone so far this crop year,” said


Cargo ship at a grain terminal.

CP’s Hunter Harrison confirms grain is captive to rail

Western Canada’s transportation mess and the railways’ response is getting 
lots of attention in the mainstream media

Railway executives came out swinging last week following the federal government’s March 7 order to get the grain moving, while the western provinces stepped up the pressure on Ottawa to keep the pressure on. The Manitoba government followed Alberta and Saskatchewan’s lead in getting involved in the issue by striking a Provincial Task Force on