Kyiv | Reuters — On a crisp and sunny November morning, Ukrainian farmers lined up to collect U.N.-supplied grain sleeves to store crops over winter as the country faces a significant shortage of storing capacity caused by Russian shelling. Ukraine has said it may lack up to 15 million tonnes of regular grain storage capacity […] Read more
Ukrainian farmers turn to U.N.-supplied grain sleeves for storage
'Last year's harvest still hasn't been sold'
Russia halts Ukraine Black Sea grain exports, Biden outraged
Reuters – Russia on Saturday suspended participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal after what it said was a major Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet in Crimea, dealing a blow to attempts to ease the global food crisis. U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the move as “purely outrageous” and said it would increase […] Read more
Unions rip supply chain report’s language on strikes
Task force calls for 'new labour relations paradigm'
Recommendations from the federal government’s National Supply Chain Task Force to strengthen the country’s supply chains have drawn a cheer but also one significant jeer from unions in the transport sector. The task force’s final report, released Oct. 6, offered up 21 recommendations aimed at easing congestion in Canada’s ports, filling labour shortages and improving […] Read more
Selling to an unlicensed grain buyer
Reading Time: < 1 minute There are factors to consider before selling to an unlicensed grain buyer if you have production insurance, says Alberta Financial Services Corp. The provincial crop insurer says it will only accept “receipted grade” on sales from buyers who have a primary elevator or a terminal elevator licence from the Canadian Grain Commission. Before selling to […] Read more
Shallow Mississippi River expected to persist as dry winter hits U.S. South
River levels at historic lows this fall
Reuters — Low water levels on the Mississippi River are likely to persist this winter as drier-than-normal weather is expected across the southern U.S. and Gulf Coast, U.S. government forecasters said on Thursday. Drought, which currently spans 59 per cent of the country, is expected to continue or worsen in the middle and lower Mississippi […] Read more
Railways in the spotlight as shipping season begins
CN and CP say they’ll get the job done but shippers and farmers are concerned
Reading Time: 4 minutes Another chapter in the great Canadian rail transport soap opera may be unfolding. The tempestuous couple — railroads and grain farmers — is on the cusp of another argument over harvest shipping. And there’s no alternative for producers. They’re locked into the relationship. Will CN Rail and CP Rail, which struggled to move a 49-million […] Read more
Trudeau tours storm-hit Atlantic Canada as power outages persist
Flooding may hit P.E.I. potato crops
Port aux Basques, N.L. | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday started a tour of Atlantic Canada, where thousands were still without power after record-setting storm Fiona ravaged the country’s east coast, tossing homes into the sea and killing at least three people. Fiona recorded the lowest barometric pressure ever for a storm […] Read more
Quebec’s UPA hit by ransomware attack
Farm organization, affiliate bodies affected
Quebec’s overarching farmer organization, l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), has confirmed its computer systems were hit by a ransomware attack earlier this month. UPA, in a release last Thursday, said it’s working with a cybersecurity firm to analyze the nature and scope of the attack, as well as any possible solutions to securely restore its […] Read more
CP arbitration ends in two-year deal for engineers, conductors
Dispute led to rail service outage in March
Mediation and arbitration hearings over the weekend have ended in a two-year labour deal for engineers, conductors and train and yard service staff at Canadian Pacific Railway. The agreement puts a formal lid on the latest round of contract disputes between Calgary-based CP and its 3,000-odd unionized employees represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference […] Read more
Prairie drought spurs record imports via Trois-Rivieres
G3 terminal reports record incoming grain handle
Agrifood firms unable to source enough grain domestically due to last year’s drought have imported a record amount through a major St. Lawrence River grain terminal this year. Winnipeg grain handler G3, whose grain terminal at Trois-Rivieres, Que. has storage capacity for 109,000 tonnes, reported Wednesday the terminal has so far unloaded over 160,000 tonnes […] Read more