Saskatoon | Grainews — Prairie farmers have been feeling the pain of a basis wide as the Saskatchewan sky, and the situation isn’t likely to improve any time soon. “We need to get rail movement to tighten supplies and improve these basis levels,” Cliff Jamieson, grains analyst with DTN, told delegates at the Grain Handling […] Read more
Guenther: Farmers’ cash flow concerns feeding wide basis
More grain cars roll as eastern passage nears opening
Canadian National Railway (CN) reports it’s nearing the federal government’s mandated goal of moving 5,500 grain cars per week, just as the Great Lakes grain shipping corridor is set to open for the season. CN on Monday reported having spotted 5,102 hopper cars for loading at country grain elevators in Western Canada during crop Week […] Read more
Guenther: West Coast’s grain capacity a question mark
Saskatoon | Grainews –– Western Canada’s rail network isn’t the only piece of the grain logistics puzzle that needs attention, farmers heard here at Wednesday’s Grain Handling and Transportation Summit. “If we did solve the rail problem, we have another large problem, and that’s West Coast terminal capacity,” said Richard Gray, a University of Saskatchewan […] Read more
Alta. to lift some spring load limits for grain
The Alberta government plans to allow grain trucks to run at 100 per cent of their axle weights on certain provincial highways otherwise restricted during the spring thaw period. The provincial government on Friday announced it will issue permits “at no cost” for grain trucks to travel at fully-loaded weights on roads otherwise subject to […] Read more
Guenther: Gears grinding on grain freight co-ordination
Saskatoon | Grainews — The Prairie grain industry and railways are likely to behave like the House of Commons as they try to fix logistics problems plaguing the industry, Perry Pellerin told delegates here at the Grain Handling and Transportation Summit. “There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing. A lot of badgering. Maybe even […] Read more
Sask. to bend spring load limit rules for grain
Grain growers in Saskatchewan will be able to apply for permits allowing them to truck grain at “heavier-than-published” weights on provincial roads during the spring thaw period. “While we will continue to protect our investment in highways during the spring thaw, we will allow for some exceptions to spring road bans to facilitate farmers’ urgent […] Read more
Vancouver truckers reach agreement, return to work
A back-to-work rule making its way through the British Columbia legislature will be scrapped after container truckers serving Port Metro Vancouver reached an agreement Wednesday to end their work stoppage. Unionized truckers, represented by Unifor, and non-union members of the United Truckers Association are to resume “full operations” at PMV on Thursday, the province said […] Read more
CN rips feds’ planned rail interswitching expansion
Mandatory extension of rail car interswitching and tighter grain freight regulations may “placate a vocal constituency” but will do little to move more grain and may harm Canadian businesses, Canadian National Railway (CN) warns. The federal government on Wednesday introduced a package of legislative amendments promising increased regulatory oversight for rail grain freight and new […] Read more
Ottawa tightens rail service agreements, boosts rail switching range
Federal legislation tightening the terms of grain freight service agreements between shippers and railways — and allowing some captive shippers a wider radius in which to shift cars to another railway — is now on the table. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Transport Minister Lisa Raitt introduced what’s dubbed the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers […] Read more
Manitoba eases spring load limits for grain trucks
Grain will be an “essential commodity” this year during Manitoba’s spring thaw, for the purposes of trucking grain on the province’s minor highways. The provincial government on Monday announced a “special one-time amendment” to its spring weight restrictions on provincial roads, so as to “enable farmers to be nimble and react quickly to changes in […] Read more
