Reading Time: 3 minutes Rail service is poor right now, but things will get better — in both the short and longer term, says a leading expert on grain transportation. CN Rail has been particularly poor when it comes to delivering hopper cars requested by grain companies, hitting a low of only 24 per cent during one week in […] Read more
Rail service is poor, but better days are on the horizon, says expert
Delivery of hopper cars is a concern, but recovery is expected and long-term outlook is good
Viterra to buy Marubeni’s U.S. grain firm Gavilon
Grain handler looking to expand reach in Americas through acquisitions
Grain firm Viterra’s plans to buy an expanded global reach are about to move forward with a 10-figure deal for the bulk of U.S. ag commodity firm Gavilon’s grain business. Viterra, owned by commodities firm Glencore and two Canadian public-sector pension funds, announced Wednesday it will pay $1.125 billion to buy Omaha-based Gavilon from the […] Read more
Grain flow uncertain as floods halt B.C. rail, road traffic
MarketsFarm — It’s too early yet to determine the effect of massive floods in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland on grain movement, according to the company monitoring Canada’s grain handling and transportation system. Up to 200 millimetres of rain earlier this week have triggered mudslides and cut access to rail lines and highways east of Vancouver. […] Read more
Viterra seeking expansion in Americas, Australia, sources say
London | Reuters — Swiss miner and trader Glencore and its partners are looking at options to expand their agricultural joint venture Viterra, including targeted bolt-on acquisitions in the Americas and Australia, two sources close to the matter said. The firm, formerly known as Glencore Agriculture, made the headlines in 2017 for a failed takeover […] Read more
Don’t forget to harvest sample
Reading Time: < 1 minute Even though grain is in high demand, producers should still be taking samples of each load so they have a representative sample for each bin, says provincial crop market analyst Neil Blue. “The goal is to have a sample that has the same characteristics as the large volume of product it represents,” said Blue. “Producers […] Read more
Lytton bridge re-opened but grain movement ‘hit and miss’
B.C. wildfires continue to disrupt Prairie grain movement
Canadian National Railway’s fire-damaged bridge at Lytton, B.C. reopened for traffic Tuesday — but all train movement, including for grain, through British Columbia’s wildfire-ravaged southern Interior, is “hit and miss” and will remain so until the fire risk lessens. “Both (CN and Canadian Pacific Railway) are having troubles because there are so many fires in […] Read more
W.A. Grain & Pulse Solutions has licences suspended
Company says it was in ‘constant contact’ with the Canadian Grain Commission over financial situation
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – W.A. Grain & Pulse Solutions has had its licences temporarily suspended by the Canadian Grain Commission and the company’s owner says the firm is facing “a worst-case scenario.” The Innisfail company, which has two elevators in Alberta and three in Saskatchewan, had its licences suspended by the grain commission on April 20 […] Read more
Virtual town hall on federal Grain Act set for Friday
Time is running out on consultations, but the April 23 event gives farmers a chance to provide input
The deadline for submitting comments to the federal government’s review of the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is April 30, but farmers can also offer feedback at a ‘virtual’ town hall meeting this Friday. The Grain Act and its regulations provide the framework for Canada’s grain quality assurance system and it’s the […] Read more
Richardson to upgrade western Manitoba elevator
High-throughput to replace wooden crib structure at Swan River
Prairie grain handler Richardson Pioneer plans to start work this spring on a new high-throughput elevator “effectively replacing” its Swan River Valley unit in northwestern Manitoba. The Winnipeg company’s current site, on Canadian National Railway (CN) track about six kilometres north of the town of Swan River, is anchored by a wooden crib workhouse and […] 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
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