The union for Canadian Pacific Railway’s train crews and rail traffic controllers isn’t yet in a strike position, but the railway already wants Ottawa to drop a conciliator into their contract talks. Calgary-based CP said Friday it has been in talks with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) since early October toward a new contract […] Read more
CP wants conciliator in talks with crews’, controllers’ union
Manitoba to loosen spring trucking restrictions
Springtime restrictions on truck weights on various Manitoba roads will now be based on actual road conditions instead of hard dates on the calendar. The provincial government on Wednesday announced a new policy in which it "will take changing weather conditions into account in determining when spring road restrictions must be put in place, instead […] Read more
Equipment dealer, museum founder Stan Reynolds, 88
Memorial services are expected to be held later this spring for the auto and ag equipment dealer whose collections of vintage iron were the basis for the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. Stan Reynolds of Wetaskiwin, Alta. died last Thursday in Edmonton at age 88, the provincial government reported Monday. Reynolds’ "lifelong interest in machines of all types […] Read more
Lower ocean freight costs support grain exports
Soft ocean freight rates, which hit 25-year lows in early February, are helping cut into Canada’s grain freight disadvantage with some of its competitors, according to industry participants. The Baltic Dry Index, which is used as a guide for global shipping rates, is sitting at 715 points, up from a 25-year low of 647 points […] Read more
Robot milker firm, Ont. builder partner on dairy barns
A southwestern Ontario construction and design firm specializing in ag buildings has struck a partnership with a major milking equipment supplier to offer a full-service dairy barn package. Post Farm Structures, based at Alma, Ont., and Dutch dairy equipment and robotics firm Lely on Thursday announced the launch of Integrated Agritect, a partnership offering custom-designed […] Read more
ADM to shut North Dakota ethanol plant in April
Archer Daniels Midland on Monday said it will close a North Dakota ethanol plant near the Manitoba border, marking the first such closure for the agribusiness giant that last month announced the elimination of 1,000 jobs. The facility at Walhalla, N.D., about 30 km south of Winkler, Man., will permanently close in April, resulting in […] Read more
Ont. grain growers, ethanol lobby rip critical report
A study painting a bleak picture for Canada’s livestock sector under a continued regime of ethanol subsidies and government incentives has drawn blowback from Ontario’s grain growers and the voice of the biofuel industry. The study, commissioned by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council and Canadian Meat Council and authored by the George Morris […] Read more
Higher ethanol blends would hit livestock sector: study
Policies designed to cut Canada’s emissions from fossil fuels have instead made the ethanol industry a "subsidized competitor" against the livestock sector, according to a new study from a well-known ag think tank. The George Morris Centre at Guelph, Ont. on Tuesday released a report by senior market analyst Kevin Grier, senior research associate Al […] Read more
Grain revenue jumps in CP’s Q4
A jump in revenue from slightly higher grain traffic in the last three months of 2011 helped bolster a beleaguered Canadian Pacific Railway in its fourth fiscal quarter (Q4). CP on Thursday booked net income of $221 million on total revenues of $1.408 billion for its quarter ending Dec. 31, up from $186 million on […] Read more
Deere to take MacDon windrowers global
Farm equipment maker MacDon Industries will be the manufacturer for several lines of self-propelled windrowers and mower conditioners to be sold worldwide under John Deere paint. U.S.-based ag and heavy equipment giant Deere and Co. announced a "strategic agreement" Friday with Winnipeg-based MacDon, allowing Deere to expand its hay and forage product portfolio globally. More […] Read more
