The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) wants grain shipments on Canadian National Railway (CN) to resume as soon as possible. “It has a major impact for every day that we’re not moving grain on CN,” WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich said in an interview Tuesday. “A federal mediator has been appointed and that’s a step […] Read more
Elevator operators seek quick end to CN strike
New elevator ‘a dream come true’ for Peace Country community
New Richardson Pioneer facility the latest in a string of super-fast loading facilities on the Prairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s been a hard growing season but producers in the High Level area have reason to celebrate — they will soon be enjoying the benefits of the movement that’s seeing new super-fast grain elevators pop up across the Prairies. Richardson Pioneer has started construction on the new elevator, which will be connected to CN Rail […] Read more
U.S. farm belt slammed by floods, heavy snow from bomb cyclone
Reuters — A harsh late-winter storm broadsided a vast swath of the U.S. agriculture industry this week as heavy snow closed roads and buried cattle in the Plains while excessive rain flooded Midwest fields and swamped grain elevators. A “bomb cyclone” hurled hurricane-force winds, sparked tornadoes and dumped heavy snow and rain across the Plains […] Read more
Grain elevators brace for high-volume shipping season
CNS Canada — Grain companies in Western Canada are bracing for another high-volume year, as questions about the system’s ability to handle that amount continue to plague the industry. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, said despite the heat stress that has hit many crops this year, grain companies expect this […] Read more
Gone from the skyline, parts of Prairie sentinels live on
More than 5,000 wooden elevators are gone but some of their beautiful old-growth timbers survive
Reading Time: 2 minutes They’re mostly gone now, but parts of some of them will live on. Alberta’s first wooden grain elevator was constructed in 1895 and at the peak in the 1930s, there were nearly 1,800 of them. Today, there are only 88 left, more falling victim to demolition every year. More than 5,000 wooden grain elevators across […] Read more
Larger elevators, smaller rail cars seen in grain’s future
Winnipeg | CNS Canada –– Heading into the future, elevators will be more efficient and trains will carry more grain, according to industry professionals at the Grain World conference in Winnipeg. “I think there’s a real shift happening from low efficiency to the higher-efficiency facilities,” Karl Gerrand, CEO of G3, said Wednesday during the What […] Read more
Need for speed is the key to Vegreville’s two new elevators
Viterra’s and GrainsConnect Canada’s new facilities will both be able to load huge unit trains in little more than half a day
Reading Time: 2 minutes Vegreville will soon be home to two new high-throughput elevators, and the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board is a big reason why, says the head of GrainsConnect Canada. The company’s two owners — Japan’s Zen-Noh Grain Corp. and Australia’s GrainCorp — both want access to Prairie grain and that prompted the decision to spend […] Read more
U.S. grain prices soar as floods shut waterways, threaten crops
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain farmers scrambled to find shelter for their crops and handlers hunted for alternative transportation routes, as widespread floods shut waterways from Illinois to Missouri and spurred a surge in physical prices of corn and soybeans. The sudden jump in prices could complicate a months-long stand-off between farmers who are […] Read more
Grain deliveries hit record high in September
CNS Canada — September was a very busy month for grain handlers in Western Canada, as farmer deliveries into the commercial pipeline hit their highest levels ever. Producers made deliveries of 5.879 million tonnes of the major grains and oilseeds during the month, topping the previous monthly record of 5.819 million tonnes set two years […] Read more
Three things to watch for when reading your grain contract
Two-part contracts, delivery terms, and extended delivery periods can cause problems down the road if you don’t read your grain contract carefully
Reading Time: 3 minutes Do you read your grain contracts from front to back? If so, you’re one of the few who do. A University of Manitoba study found only 17 per cent of Canadian farmers read their whole grain contracts — and that’s a mistake, says a grain industry expert. “For every grain buyer out there, the terms […] Read more
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