The federal Transportation Safety Board’s report into the fatal derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) grain train in the Rocky Mountains in 2019 calls for changes to train braking systems and maintenance. CP, however, is questioning the TSB’s conclusions about the braking performance of the train involved, saying those conclusions are “based on inappropriate […] Read more
CP disputes TSB’s conclusions on fatal grain train crash
Safety board urges automatic parking brakes, 'enhanced' brake testing for conditions
Pulse weekly outlook: Market uncertainty all around
MarketsFarm — As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to swing markets up and down, typical issues and other external factors have amplified volatility in the pulse markets, according to one trader. David Newman, owner of Commodius Trading at North Saanich, B.C., explained that while the conflict in Eastern Europe is affecting markets everywhere, the usual […] Read more
Russia’s war could affect agriculture around the globe
Fallout from the invasion could prompt a rethink and reordering of current systems, say economic experts
Reading Time: 4 minutes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will not only roil commodity markets in the short term, but could lead to some structural changes to agriculture both here and abroad. [READ MORE] Farming behind the lines in Ukraine Livestock production, the rise of faux meats, phosphorus recycling and biofuels were some of the issues raised by ag economic […] Read more
EU offers farmers aid, more land to grow due to Ukraine war
Brussels | Reuters — The European Union will distribute 500 million euros (C$692 million) to help farmers and allow them to grow crops on fallow land to mitigate food price spikes and potential shortages resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Published on Wednesday, the proposals by the EU’s executive European Commission also include assistance to […] Read more
Get a tax credit on checkoffs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Crop commissions are reminding growers that they can get a tax credit for their checkoffs. The Scientific Research and Experimental Development Fund (SR&ED) program is based on the percentage of a checkoff that is used for crop research and development — an amount that varies for each crop. For barley, every $100 in 2021 checkoffs […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices expected to hold
MarketsFarm — Prices for green and red lentils are very likely to remain relatively steady, according to Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg. “Inventories are relatively low and there are not a lot of people to go to for green lentils in Canada,” she said. “From a buyer’s point of view, they’re […] Read more
CP service to resume as dispute goes to arbitration
Engineers, conductors to return to work Tuesday noon
Engineers, conductors and train and yard service staff at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) will return to work by noon local time Tuesday as their labour dispute goes to arbitration. Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, attending labour talks between CP and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) in Calgary, announced Tuesday morning that the parties “have […] Read more
CP engineers, conductors locked out; talks continue
'Parties are working through the night': O'Regan
A lockout has begun at Canadian Pacific Railway affecting its 3,000-odd unionized engineers, conductors and train and yard service staff, effectively shutting down CP service. “The work stoppage has begun, but CP and (the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference) are still at the table with federal mediators,” federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said in a statement […] Read more
Ukraine war already impacting food security, U.N. agency warns
London | Reuters — The war in Ukraine is already resulting in rising food prices and a shortage of staple crops in parts of central Asia, the Middle East and north Africa, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said on Thursday. The Russian invasion of Ukraine last month has severely curtailed shipments […] Read more
Farming behind the lines in Ukraine
A Ukrainian agriculture journalist chronicles the challenges of sowing a crop during wartime
Ukrainians will farm their land, even in the face of war. In the Kherson area of southern Ukraine, where war rages and the city of Kherson is seen by the Russian invaders as strategic, a column set out on Monday. This was a column of tractors, under the flag of Ukraine. In it were farmers […] Read more