Proponents of producer shipped rail cars are banding together to form a
new farm group.
The Prairie Producer Car Shippers Association will hold its founding
meeting in Swift Current, Sask., on March 13.
Organizer Edwin Wallace of Pennant, Sask., said the idea was first
discussed about a year ago, but nothing developed until late last fall.
“I got a little nervous when I heard that (chief grain commissioner)
Barry Senft was going to review producer car shipping,” Wallace said.
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He said producers don’t want to lose the right to load their own cars.
“Producer car shipping is a great benefit to producers,” he said. “It’s
also the only alternative to the concrete elevator.”
Wallace said elevation fees at concrete facilities are “exorbitant” and
will only go higher.
Some have suggested that producer car proponents join with an existing
farm group.
Wallace said a single-issue group is the best way to counter the lobby
by the grain companies to force licensing of producer car loading sites
as primary elevators.
“We think by crossing political and ideological or philosophical lines
with a one-issue group we’re maybe on the right track,” he said. “It’s
strictly the preservation and maintenance of producer car shipping that
we’re interested in.”
A mailout to producers who have loaded cars has resulted in about 400
replies from Manitoba to the Peace region of Alberta and British
Columbia.
Wallace expects about 150 will attend the Swift Current meeting. He
said attendees will discuss regional representation, how to communicate
within such a large geographical area, and the fee structure.
