Reading Time: 3 minutes With memories of the grain-handling chaos of 2014 still fresh and another large Prairie crop looming, the railways are calling for greater collaboration in moving this year’s harvest. “To ensure success during this crop year, the broader supply chain must work together to collectively harness our energy so that the entire Canadian economy can reap […] Read more
Railways asking industry to all pull together
To move the coming big crop efficiently will require better co-operation throughout the supply chain, say railway execs
Last chance to comment on producer car rules
The Canadian Grain Commission is looking to license producer car loading facilities
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Grain Commission is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the licensing of some groups in the grain industry. If a grain-handling operation meets the definition of an elevator or grain dealer under the Canada Grain Act, it must be either licensed or exempted by the grain commission. Licensing implies that a bond or […] Read more
Grain transport problems solved? Not quite
Mandated minimums for grain movement are set to expire this summer — but Alberta crop industry leaders say they’re still needed
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s railways moved a record amount of grain for the 2014-15 crop year — but any improvements were mostly thanks to luck, not fixes to the system, say users. “A lot of the same issues that were evident in 2013 and 2014 are still there, but we’ve had a good run based on excellent weather, […] Read more
BOOM BOOM: A double dose of good news for Alberta’s farm scene
Two new mega elevators boost competition and their cutting-edge loop tracks mean super-fast turnaround times
Reading Time: 4 minutes Back-to-back announcements that Red Deer County will soon have its first-ever super-sized grain terminals are giving farmers multiple reasons to celebrate. “It’s more good news when it comes to choice for marketing — not that we ever want to see an overbuild situation — but I’m sure these folks have all done their homework,” said […] Read more
The future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades
Reading Time: < 1 minute Peer past the gloom in the oilpatch and Alberta agriculture has a pretty good story to tell. That’s why Paterson Grain is currently building an elevator at Daysland and poised to start construction on another near Innisfail. “Producers in Alberta are some of the best in the world, and the land in Alberta is very […] Read more
Run the numbers and don’t be buffaloed by basis
Your grain company likely uses unadjusted basis in U.S. dollars, but you want basis and the cash price in the same currency
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wheat basis has been a hot topic this year and a weak loonie has continued to make it an issue, says a provincial market analyst. Basis is calculated as the difference between the cash market price and the relevant futures price. Spring wheat futures, as traded on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX), are generally used […] Read more
Uncertain future for iconic grain elevator
Dorothy landmark lost its roof in summer storm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Linda Miller was napping during the afternoon of July 22 when she was suddenly awakened by a thunderous boom. “There was terrible wind, terrible noise. There was rain and hail,” said Miller, a sixth-generation resident of Dorothy, a popular ghost town tourism destination along Highway 570 at the southeastern end of the Drumheller Badlands. The […] Read more
Paterson to build central Alta. grain terminal
Winnipeg’s Paterson Grain plans to make its move into the central Alberta grain handling market with a new inland terminal about an hour southeast of Edmonton. Paterson announced Thursday it plans to build a 55,000-tonne capacity handling site at Daysland, about 40 km southeast of Camrose, to start accepting grain sometime next year. The new […] Read more
It looks like the end of the line for two aging Prairie icons
With the imminent demolition of Menaik’s classic country grain elevator the end of an era edges closer in central Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bernard Lentz felt profound sadness when he heard last month the focus of one of his biggest dreams as a farmer was about to be lost forever. Now retired, the 79-year-old fondly recalled the memorable days in the winter of 1978 when he saved a doomed Alberta Pacific Grain Company grain elevator at the whistle […] Read more
Increased grain production in Viking area prompts elevator expansion
Decision to expand based on two-year market analysis of crop availability
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cargill is undertaking a major expansion of its Viking elevator. Storage will nearly double — from 13,640 tonnes to 23,400 tonnes — and the railspot capacity will be increased to 100 cars from the current 52, said Ryan Dechief, general manager of the facility. “Compared to Pioneer or Viterra, we have one of the smaller […] Read more
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