This is the Western Grain Elevator Association’s response to the WP editorial, “Prairie farmers score a win in grain commission tussle,” that appeared on page 10 of the Aug. 10 edition. Western Canadian farmers produce a premium quality crop when compared to most other grain producing nations. The challenge is to maintain our enviable position […] Read more
Stories by Wade Sobkowich
Cost recovery may place CGC in conflict
The retention of the Canadian Grain Commission surplus by the CGC raises questions about the organization’s purpose, services and sources of funding. The CGC’s budget is covered through user fees paid by the farmer through grain companies. The industry has no say in the establishment of CGC’s budget but is required to cover these costs. […] Read more
Lower CGC fees would help farmers
In material that accompanied its Aug. 1 announcement, the Canadian Grain Commission states that a fee reduction wasn’t part of its decision for the surplus due to the notion that it wouldn’t likely translate into benefits for producers. The CGC has positioned this as a major factor as to why it opted to keep the […] Read more
Interswitching valuable pricing tool
For Canada’s grain sector, the past three years have seen important initial results from competition at work in the movement of grain by rail. It’s all because of the government’s (temporary) provision to extend the 30 kilometre interswitching radius to 160 km, giving many normally captive shippers competitive options when ordering cars and negotiating rates. […] Read more
Canadian wheat not in decline: officials
The Western Producer recently published comments from an international grain broker that led the paper to ask the question, “is Canadian wheat in decline?” We are pleased to answer that question with an unequivocal “no.” In fact, it is quite the reverse. The wide-ranging comments brought up questions on logistics, grain grading and return to […] Read more
Allow time for KVD alternatives – Opinion
Sobkowich is executive director of the Western Grain Elevators Association. KVD stands for kernel visual distinguishability. Simply put, KVD means being able to tell what class grain falls into by looking at it. Grain is organized into classes such as Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS), Canadian Western Amber Durum (CWAD), Canadian Western Red Winter (CWRW), […] Read more
The biggest issue in grain biz – Opinion
Sobkowich is the executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, which represents eight farmer-owned public and private grain businesses in Canada. In recent weeks the Western Producer has thrown a welcomed light onto ongoing concerns over deteriorating rail service. This is one of the most important issues facing the western Canadian grain industry today. […] Read more
