Winnipeg — Ongoing assessment of the grain transportation system and better protection for small shippers are two of the eight recommendations made by the Crop Logistics Working Group (CLWG). They will now be submitted to the Canada Transportation Act Review for consideration. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was in Winnipeg Monday to announce the findings of […] Read more
Transportation review recommendations
Ritz says shippers should be able to charge for cars not delivered on time
Trade ‘balancing act’ in focus at ag ministers’ meeting
With foreign governments urging Canada to open up its protected dairy, poultry and egg markets, the country’s provincial agriculture ministers are unanimously counter-urging in supply management’s defense. Pressure from trading partners and strong regional support in principle for supply management are nothing new. But Canada’s annual ag ministers’ meeting, held this week in Charlottetown, wrapped […] Read more
A familiar story from south of the line
The arguments from both railways and their critics are the same, and so is the result — a clogged system with farmers paying the price
Reading Time: 2 minutes Officials aren’t going to do much to make the trains run on time to alleviate the 2014 ag rail problems. Farmers and elevators need to prepare to suffer through 2015 — and maybe 2016 and beyond. That’s my prediction after listening to nine straight hours of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board hearing on the railroad […] Read more
Should Ag Minister Ritz tackle the railways next?
Gerry Ritz won the wheat board battle, now it’s time to find a fix for grain transportation woes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Gerry Ritz slew the Canadian Wheat Board, but can he rein in the railways? If anyone can, it’s Canada’s 33rd minister of agriculture. It won’t be easy, but neither was ending the wheat board’s 69-year-old monopoly. Ritz had help. Key was Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had a deep disdain for the board and made […] Read more
West Coast terminals have a beef with railways, too
Producers who recently toured terminal elevators say every official they met said railways are the bottleneck in the system
Reading Time: 4 minutes Turns out farmers aren’t the only ones with a beef with Canada’s railways — operators of West Coast ports say inadequate rail service is holding them back, too. Sylvan Lake farmer Michael Ammeter was one of 11 producers and grain industry representatives who toured ports in Portland, Vancouver, and Prince Rupert for five days in […] Read more
Alberta farm leader says rail system fix is on track
Ordering the railways to move more grain has grabbed the spotlight, but Kent Erickson says newly enacted legislation will bring long-term gains
Reading Time: 3 minutes New federal rail legislation is the first major step in building a sustainable and reliable rail transportation system, says the chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission. But in the meantime, extending an order-in-council that penalizes the railways if they fail to move a million tonnes of grain a week is the best short-term fix, said […] Read more
Grain commission moves producer car administration online
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers can now administer their producer cars online. A new web application at the Canadian Grain Commission website means producers can arrange for credit for shipping charges with railways and pay freight costs. A producer may choose to work with an administrator or agent, who can arrange for credit for shipping charges with railways and […] Read more
Infrastructure is the weak link in agriculture around the globe
Straight from the hip: We produce enough food to feed a growing world, but getting it to consumers is getting more difficult
Reading Time: 3 minutes The infrastructure in Canada to get farmers’ product to market is broken. Canadian farmers are not alone, as this is a concern worldwide, especially right after harvest. In most countries, piles of product sit by the road in the sun waiting for a pickup by the local truck. In some countries, such as Australia, lack […] Read more
Fixing the system will take more than blame
Reading Time: < 1 minute I would suggest the federal government could save about $3 million just by reading Laura Rance’s article in the April 14 edition of Alberta Farmer (‘Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act — much ado about not much’). I would further suggest that one sentence of that article should be highlighted for members of this government […] Read more
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