SASKATOON — Canada is dodging much of the grain shipping turmoil other exporters are facing, says Canada’s grain monitor. Total exports are about where they should be for this time of the year, said Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp. “A large part of it has to do with the great weather we had before […] Read more
Tag Archives grain shipping
Grain shippers call for expansion of interswitching pilot
Coalition argues that the 18-month initiative planned by Ottawa needs to be broader and last for a longer period of time
A campaign called Flip the Switch has launched at interswitching.ca to encourage producers and shippers to contact their members of Parliament to voice their support.
Lost Angeles and Long Beached: U.S. ports need to be fixed
Not many people or events lead both the New York Times and CBS’s 60 Minutes television broadcast on the same day. The still-building mess at many United States ports, however, pulled off that rare feat Nov. 14 by being the biggest rat’s nest anyone in port management, railroading, trucking, and the West Coast ag exporting […] Read more
Governments must take co-ordinated action to fix crisis
It is time for government to help improve co-ordination among parties involved in transporting shipping containers. Help is necessary to clear the shortages and logjams that are starving manufacturers of parts and leaving exporters with no means to export. Sean Pratt of The Western Producer recently reported on the obstacles that lentil exporters face this […] Read more
Grain handler can trace problem crop back to farm
It’s a scenario that keeps grain exporters awake at night. A vessel with 70,000 tonnes of Canadian grain arrives at port in Japan. Samples are taken and tested. The shipment is then rejected because the samples exceed the maximum residue limit for a particular pesticide. However, exporters such as Richardson International plan for such scenarios […] Read more
Railroad CSX vows to improve service
(REUTERS) —The head of No. 3 U.S. railroad CSX Corp promised on Wednesday to improve service as companies like Cargill Inc demanded greater accountability and fewer delays, criticizing an overhaul CSX launched six months ago. Customers have complained of longer transit times,unreliable switching operations, inefficient car routings and poor communications with CSX customer service. Chief […] Read more
Farm groups stand united on keeping revenue cap
Prairie farm groups delivered a unified message to federal transport minister Marc Garneau last week, telling him that maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) for railways must be retained in order to keep grain shipping costs in check. “It’s hugely important,” said Lynn Jacobson, president of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture. “We need to get it right.” […] Read more
Alta. wheat growers call for rail improvements
The Alberta Wheat Commission is renewing calls for regulatory reforms that it says will lead to a more equitable relationship between railways and grain shippers. In a Sept. 15 news release, the commission called for improved railway accountability through the introduction of reciprocal monetary penalties that could be applied against grain shippers or railway companies […] Read more
Resolution thought doubtful for dockage dispute
A former federal agriculture minister believes the China canola dockage issue won’t be resolved before the Sept. 1 deadline. “I doubt it,” said Gerry Ritz, who served as agriculture minister for eight years under former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The U.S. Department of Agriculture appears to agree with him, according to a recent report […] Read more
Grain targets good first step, but not a solution: critics
Ottawa’s weekly grain targets won’t necessarily guarantee that the right grain is moved at the right time to the right location, say critics. Beginning next week, Canada’s major railway companies will be obligated to move a combined total of one million tonnes of prairie grain per week, which is the equivalent of 5,500 loaded hopper […] Read more
