Canadian Pacific Railway’s CEO has warned readers of Canada’s two national newspapers that adding more rail cars and locomotives now on CP track would serve only to worsen the grain backlog on the Prairies. Writing in full-page CP advertisements in Thursday’s Globe and Mail and National Post, Hunter Harrison said adding more cars to a […] Read more
More grain cars now would be ‘wrong thing,’ CP CEO says
Cereal, pulse treatment cleared for on-farm application
Cereal and pulse crop growers have been cleared for on-farm application of one of Syngenta’s neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments, for control of pests such as wireworm and pea leaf weevil. Syngenta Canada last week announced it had picked up federal registration for on-farm application of its Cruiser 5FS seed treatment to cereal and pulse seed, […] Read more
Feds back farm safety training ahead of Ag Safety Week
A five-year federal funding pledge for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is expected to help fund more farm safety training and monitoring progress towards safer farms. Candice Bergen, the federal minister of state for social development, announced the funding through the Fostering Business Development stream of AgriCompetitiveness — a $114-million program under Growing Forward […] Read more
Prairie rail jams putting Canadian millers in shutdown mode
A rail backlog keeping Prairie wheat and oats from arriving at Canadian mills has already forced some millers to suspend operations, according to the millers’ organization. In the Feb. 27 issue of the Manitoba Co-operator, Canadian National Millers Association (CNMA) president Gordon Harrison notes “prolonged interruptions of up to three to four weeks” in wheat […] Read more
CN shutting parts of Prairie main lines for weekend
Canadian National Railway (CN) plans to close down several stretches of its main line on the Prairies for the weekend starting Friday night, citing “ongoing extreme cold weather.” CN said in an email Friday (Feb. 28) it will suspend operations from 8 p.m. local time until 8 a.m. Monday morning (March 3) on six subdivisions. […] Read more
Rules now on books to enforce hog traceability for July 1
Hog farmers and handlers in Canada now officially have until July 1 to get their operations Pigtrace-compatible. Amendments to the federal Health of Animals Regulations were published Wednesday in the Canada Gazette to make traceability of farmed pigs mandatory effective July 1 this year. The same rules will also apply to farmed wild boars starting […] Read more
Agrium to dial up urea, ammonia production in Texas
The board of Canadian fertilizer and ag retail giant Agrium has greenlit plans to dial up production of urea and ammonia at its Texas nitrogen plant. Calgary-based Agrium on Tuesday announced approval for a “debottleneck” expansion at its plant at Borger, Tex., about 70 km northeast of Amarillo. Debottlenecking — that is, increasing a plant’s […] Read more
CN, CP would accept ‘reciprocal penalties’ in service agreements: Sask.
Canada’s big two railways have pledged to have “thousands” of additional cars taking grain to ports until at least December this year, and would also sign level-of-service pacts with grain shippers providing for “reciprocal penalties,” the Saskatchewan government says. The provincial government, which on Feb. 12 struck a cabinet delegation to meet with grain companies […] Read more
Railways step up service as Ottawa eyes tackling grain backlog
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s two big railways are stepping up service to reduce a backlog of grain shipments that have delayed exports and pushed oat prices to record highs, but the Canadian government said it may still step in with new regulations. Record crops of wheat and canola, along with frigid weather, overwhelmed Canadian […] Read more
Quebec’s first case of PEDv confirmed
A farm in Quebec’s Monteregie was confirmed Sunday as the province’s first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs. The provincial agriculture, food and fisheries department didn’t specify whether the affected farm was a farrowing and/or finishing operation or provide other details on its location or the number of mortalities, if any, when it […] Read more
