Reading Time: 4 minutes Another chapter in the great Canadian rail transport soap opera may be unfolding. The tempestuous couple — railroads and grain farmers — is on the cusp of another argument over harvest shipping. And there’s no alternative for producers. They’re locked into the relationship. Will CN Rail and CP Rail, which struggled to move a 49-million […] Read more
Railways in the spotlight as shipping season begins
CN and CP say they’ll get the job done but shippers and farmers are concerned
Alberta RCMP spike grain truck to recover canola
Two suspects arrested, charged
RCMP in central Alberta say they’ve recovered a “significant amount” of canola and arrested and charged two people after a grain truck suspected in an alleged canola theft was halted by a spike belt. In a release Tuesday, RCMP at Bashaw — about 80 km northeast of Red Deer, in Camrose County — said they […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Prairie barley market still strong
Availability of trucks remains an issue
MarketsFarm — The feed barley market remains strong despite the influx of freshly harvested supplies, with little competition from other feed sources. “The markets have been coming up steadily, with what feels like no harvest pressure,” said Suzanne Leclerc, owner of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “People were hoping the market would get lower and […] Read more
CN releases 2022-23 grain plan
More high-capacity cars, locomotives, staff included in plan
Reading Time: < 1 minute CN Rail published its 2022-23 grain plan July 29 in which it describes preparations for moving a western Canadian grain crop expected to rebound from last year’s drought-reduced harvest. Plan details include the addition of 57 high-horsepower locomotives, new rolling stock and 500 additional employees to bolster operating crews in Western Canada. More high-capacity grain […] Read more
Is a return of ‘grain gridlock’ in the cards?
Grain movement was slow last winter but CN and CP say they’ll be ready to move this fall’s harvest
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fears are mounting that CN and CP may not be up to the job of getting grain to port later this year, even though the forecasts are for only an average-sized crop. “Last year wasn’t very reassuring,” said Geoff Backman, manager of business development and markets with Alberta Wheat and Barley. “Every year farmers are […] Read more
Railways catch up, but grain shippers worry about this fall
If there’s a normal crop this fall, it’s not clear if railways will have the capacity to move it
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – After a brutal few months of being unable to meet the shipping demands of grain companies, the two major railways have largely caught up. “Over the last two or three weeks, it’s got a little bit better,” Mark Hemmes, of Quorum Corp. (the federal grain monitor) said earlier this month. “We probably […] 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
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
Floods didn’t hit exports but transport woes are mounting
Exports are way down but grain movement is still slow two months after lines reopened
Reading Time: 3 minutes Although it’s been one crisis after another since last summer, the grain sector is seeing some small positives on the export front. One is that rail disruptions caused by flooding in B.C. in November didn’t have a big impact on servicing our wheat customers, attendees at a recent webinar on new-crop sales were told. The […] Read more
Record amount of grain moved, CN goes over revenue limit
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) recently ruled that Canadian National Railway exceeded its maximum grain revenue entitlements for the 2020/21 crop year. Meanwhile, the CTA stated that Canadian Pacific was under its entitlement. The CTA’s report stated that CN’s revenue from transporting Western Canadian grain was nearly C$1.045 billion and was C$2.4 million over its […] Read more
Don’t panic yet: Normal grain movement should be restored
Barring more torrential rains, railways should be able to catch up on grain deliveries by spring
Reading Time: 4 minutes Grain has once again started moving to the Port of Vancouver after last month’s flooding — but very slowly. “For the next couple of months, I think it’s going to be a very light program out of Vancouver,” Quorum Corp. president Mark Hemmes said on Dec. 3. “They’ve got track back, but a lot of […] Read more