Middle-aged man wearing glasses

Calls coming for new car czar

Ian McCreary says the grain transportation system is lacking independent, 
third-party oversight for setting shipping targets and rail car allocation

Is the creation of a new car czar similar to how the Grain Transportation Agency operated two decades ago the way to keep the grain flowing smoothly to export? Speakers at last week’s grain transportation summit here said someone or something needs to co-ordinate car allocations, especially when demand exceeds supply. Even CN Rail seems

Single desk would have saved billions: former CWB director

‘Orderly marketing’ would have removed pressure of surplus grain on the market

Farmers probably would not have delivered much more grain under the former wheat board’s single desk this crop year, but they would be billions of dollars richer, according to a former CWB elected director. Ian McCreary, a farmer at Bladworth, Sask. and a former CWB staff analyst, said that’s because farmers would not be losing


Canadian federal ministers at press conference.

Mixed reviews for new rail legislation to improve grain shipping

C-30 doesn’t spell out the service agreements grain companies want, but Ritz says 
they can be added through regulation. He also rejects calls for a new GTA

The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act — Ottawa’s answer to the issues facing Canada’s grain export system — fell a little flat among the 240 farm and industry leaders’ meeting here last week. While government action on the issue was welcomed, many said the legislation tabled March 26 falls far short of providing the

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


Mature man wearing glasses.

Winter wheat backlog threatens fall demand

Jake Davidson fears last fall’s unprecedented early demand might not be repeated 
if a large volume of winter wheat is carried over

For the second year in a row, winter wheat is projected to be one of the most profitable crops in Manitoba. But it won’t be as attractive this fall if last year’s crop doesn’t move soon, says Jake Davidson, executive manager of Winter Cereals Manitoba. “My biggest concern is with the slow movement this year,”

Field crop research plot.

Feed grain co-op’s new variety WFT 603 crosses registration hurdle

WFGDC marks a milestone in its goal of offering a lower-risk feed grain alternative to corn

There’s a new wheat in town, and it wasn’t developed by any of the usual suspects. WFT 603, a general purpose wheat variety from the Western Feed Grain Development Co-op Ltd. (WFGD Co-op), recently crossed the regulatory hurdles for registration and will be distributed to members by next spring. “Our seed will be competitive with


Midge larvae in a vial.

Swede midge threat looms over Manitoba canola crops

A deceptively tiny bug can wreak non-stop havoc in canola

If you thought clubroot was scary, get ready for Swede midge — a voracious mosquito-like bug that can wreak havoc with your canola yields. First found in North America in 2000, and has appeared in low numbers in Manitoba in 2007 and 2013, said Julie Soroka, a Saskatoon-based entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “The

Petri dish of grain under a microscope.

WGRF asking farmers big funding questions

Where do farmers want to go with funding research and how do they want to get there?

The Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), the farmer-run conduit for most of western grain farmers’ investment in agricultural research, wants farmers’ input on future funding and the foundation’s role. “Breeding is a long-term process,” WGRF executive director Garth Patterson told Winter Cereals Manitoba’s annual meeting March 12. “You have to look 10 or 15 years


Magnifying glass looking at contract.

Farmer frustration mounts over delivery contracts

Producers urged to seek compensation if delivery period extended beyond 90 days

The national body for canola producers says it will press major grain buyers to address grower concerns with marketing contracts. “If grain companies are hearing it from (producers) as well as the association, hopefully they can start to make a change in this area that really frustrates farmers,” said Cheryl Mayer, director of policy development