Canada’s major companies hope their operations won’t be disrupted when Ottawa requires federally regulated employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting early in 2022. “It depends on whether employees that aren’t vaccinated will get vaccinated, or would they leave their jobs,” Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) said in an interview […] Read more
Elevators hope mandatory vaccination doesn’t disrupt operations
New regulations will require all federally regulated employees to comply early in 2022
The Big Surge: Elevator capacity soaring across the Prairies
The growth in the last four years has been phenomenal
Reading Time: 5 minutes The business of building grain elevators is — pardon the pun — on a runaway train. The growth has been, by any measure, phenomenal. In just the last four years, elevator companies have added 1.2 million tonnes of storage — a 16 per cent jump. And that expansion train isn’t slowing down. Late last month, […] Read more
AFSC wants a grain sample before you sell to an unlicensed buyer
A proper sample is key to a payout on an insured crop — here are the rules governing that
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers who are thinking about selling their grain through an unlicensed grain buyer need to consider a variety of factors, especially if they have production insurance through Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC). “If you’re thinking about selling grain to a grain dealer, a private buyer, a feedlot or even straight off the combine, it’s very […] Read more
Railways to blame for terminal shortages, WGEA says
Grain handlers take issue with MarketsFarm report
MarketsFarm — The association representing the Prairies’ main grain handling companies says recent delays in loading vessels have less to do with the availability of grain and more to do with the railways hauling it to port. The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), which represents major handlers such as Viterra, Richardson, Cargill and others, raised […] Read more
Grain act, grain commission review revived
Mandatory inspection fees and the powers of the grain commission will be hotly debated
Reading Time: 6 minutes Two pillars of Canada’s $26-billion grain industry are again under review — a process reviving long-standing divisions between some farmers and grain companies over industry regulations. The Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission, which administers it, deal with grain buyer licensing, grade standards, grading disputes, quality control and producer payment protection. Some submissions are […] Read more
G3 opens two more elevators in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute There weren’t the traditional ribbon-cutting parties, but G3 has opened its latest two high-efficiency elevators in Alberta. The Morinville and Carmangay feature fast unloading of trucks and can accommodate 150-car trains on their loop tracks. The new facilities will ship grain to G3 Terminal Vancouver, when it opens this summer. It too has loop tracks […] Read more
Bunge to sell 35 U.S. elevators to Zen-Noh Grain
Chicago | Reuters — Agricultural commodities trader Bunge said on Tuesday it will sell 35 of its interior U.S. grain elevators to Zen-Noh Grain, dramatically reducing its grain origination network in the United States. Financial details of the sale with the subsidiary of Japan’s Zen-Noh Group were not disclosed, and the deal is subject to […] Read more
Safety protocols in place for farmers’ grain deliveries
Grain moving as normal, but farmers need to practice social distancing when delivering to elevators
Grain deliveries to country elevators should continue without any disruptions, the executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association says. “All of the members of the Western Grain Elevator Association are doing everything in their power to keep the grain supply chain functioning” during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Wade Sobkowich said Tuesday. “That means we’ll […] Read more
Handlers focus on keeping grain moving despite COVID-19
Grain companies, Canadian Grain Commission working but unsure of future
Canada’s grain companies are committed to keeping grain moving to domestic and export customers, but how the spread of COVID-19 might affect business is still an unknown, says Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association. “We are are going to do everything in our power to keep grain moving at this time,” […] Read more
P+H to challenge regulators’ request for elevator sale
Case to be heard sometime at later end of fall
Grain firm Parrish and Heimbecker aims to keep its now-expanded Prairie elevator network intact against a proposed order from federal antitrust regulators. Winnipeg-based, privately-held P+H in September announced a deal to buy all 10 of the primary Prairie grain elevators built by agrifood giant Louis Dreyfus Co. between 1998 and 2003. The two companies have […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
