The Carrot Valley is more than 600 kilometres from Winnipeg, but it’s only 500 km to the port of Churchill by rail.
Ironically, most of the local elevator’s average annual handle of 25,000 tonnes goes to Vancouver or down the St. Lawrence, according to its assistant manager.
Rob Dezall said the elevator usually doesn’t have the right grades in store in June for the short shipping season, and sells only 20 to 50 carloads.
New owner may help
Farmers hope a new owner for the Churchill port and its rail line will change the shipping patterns, said Armand LeSann, especially after recently selling moldy spring-threshed barley for 95 cents a bushel at the elevator.
The Pas is the highest cost freight point for barley on the Prairies.
“I think that farmers are realizing now that, if you start getting prices like that, you can’t survive, and it’s pretty important to keep your costs down,” he said.
