The average Saskatchewan farmer can expect to lose about eight per cent of his or her annual net farm income to the federal carbon tax to 2020 — and 12 per cent in 2022, the province’s general ag group says. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan on Monday released new estimates on the financial impacts […] Read more
Carbon tax an eight per cent hit on net income, APAS says
Working on the railroad — and getting grain moving
Things aren’t perfect but railways and farm groups are slowly rebuilding trust after years of conflict
Reading Time: 4 minutes They’re not besties yet — but the relationship between farm groups and the railways has undergone a sea change over the last few years. After years of vociferous complaints about poor rail service, the federal government cracked the whip in 2014, ordering CP and CN Rail to move one million tonnes of grain weekly or […] Read more
Make rail transport an essential service, say crop commissions
Wheat and barley commissions say crop sector can’t afford to have strikes ‘every few years’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The longest rail strike in a decade is over, but the need for a new way to deal with rail disruptions is as pressing as ever, say Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley. “The threat of strikes affecting grain movement is a recurring theme every few years and we need a long-term solution to ensure Canada […] Read more
Southern Alberta short line is hauling in jobs and economic activity
Forty Mile Rail purchased a long-abandoned rail line in 2016 and got the trains moving again
Reading Time: 4 minutes A group in southern Alberta has taken back a section of a short line rail, and area communities are enjoying the dividends. “We started Forty Mile Rail back in 2016,” said Lorne Buis, a director of the 75-kilometre-long rail line that runs from Stirling to Foremost. Last month, the group received $4.2 million of federal […] Read more
One mighty big grain train rolls out of Alberta
With nearly 15,000 tonnes of grain on board, this train was like nothing seen before
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the years ahead, you may find yourself stuck at a rail crossing a little longer as a grain train rumbles by. And you might want to use that extra time to say thanks for modern technology. Paterson Grain recently set a new record when it loaded 147 new high-capacity hopper cars with a whopping […] Read more
Crop year ends with grain export record
Both major railways have announced record grain shipments, and with a more than a week left in the crop year, total Canadian grain exports had already topped last year’s record. The Canadian Grain Commission reports that as of July 21, with 10 days left in the 2018-19 crop year, total exports of Canadian grain had […] Read more
Railway pace ahead of last year
Both major rail companies were on track for good performance coming into 2019, but poor weather has derailed their progress
Reading Time: 5 minutes Grain shipments by rail are leaps and bounds ahead of last year — but there’s still a long way to go. “I think both railways have really stepped up the volume, but we haven’t been without our issues,” said Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corporation, the agency tasked with monitoring grain movement by rail. “If […] Read more
CP joins CN in rejuvenating grain hopper car fleet
New-generation hopper cars are shorter, carry more grain, and are faster to load and unload
Reading Time: 2 minutes CP Rail says it will spend more than $500 million on new high-capacity grain hopper cars. The company announced last month it has ordered 1,000 new hopper cars and expects to see more than 500 of them in service by the end of the year. “These new rail cars will revitalize our fleet,” said CP […] Read more
A new day dawns and hope blossoms for Prairie grain farmers
The proof will be in the pudding, but farm leaders and grain companies agree the ‘building blocks’ are there
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a battle that took more than a decade to wage — but producers should see the benefits of the new grain transportation law this fall, says a pair of Alberta farm leaders. “I expect we’ll see advantages right away,” said Alberta Wheat chair Kevin Bender. “When the previous government brought in previous legislation after […] Read more
Transport bill delays blasted
Reading Time: < 1 minute Delays in passing Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act, means farmers could see another crop year with no mechanisms in place to hold the railways accountable, say the Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley. Read more: Grain groups rip lawmakers over derailed transport bill Political manoeuvring has stalled the legislation and there’s an increasing risk […] Read more
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