Wheat futures have been trending higher for several weeks, and just as some analysts were predicting a peak, they spiked by 20 to 30 cents a bushel on Monday. The possibility of Russia tightening phytosanitary requirements for wheat exports was a factor, says Lorne Boundy, a Winnipeg-based trader with Paterson Grain. “Lots of the concern… Read More
The federal government is extending — but also reducing — the weekly minimum grain shipping requirements for Canada’s two national railways, as it aims to resolve the remainder of the grain backlog in Western Canada. A new Order in Council will take effect on Sunday, November 30th and require CN and CP Rail move between 200,000 and 465,000 tonnes of grain… Read More
Canada’s two major railways have changed they way they process requests for grain cars in Western Canada. To deter shippers from ordering more cars than they can handle, both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific are capping the number of outstanding orders a grain shipper can have in their systems. As of September 14th, the total… Read More
Western Canadian farmers know all too well what kind of impact the logistical challenges of the last year had on local grain prices, but how did the rail backlog impact international customers? How concerned are they about the reliability of Canadian grain shipments? To get a feel for what overseas buyers are saying, I spoke… Read More
Following the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk, there was strong interest in growing wheat varieties from classes other than the traditional Canada Western Red Spring wheat that Canada is known for. There was plenty of talk about producing more high-yielding CPS (Canada Prairie Spring) wheat, but two years later, that buzz seems… Read More
Shipping your own railcar can have numerous benefits, not the least of which is selling grain at a higher price than local elevators are willing to offer. At the same time there’s also a fair amount of risk in counting on producer cars to market grain — just ask one of the farmers who are… Read More
Corn and wheat futures moved higher, while soybean values dropped following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s November crop production and supply/demand estimates on Monday morning. The numbers were not as bearish as many traders and analysts were expecting, says Mike Krueger, president of The Money Farm, in the interview above. “People thought… Read More
Almost four years after ordering them, CWB has taken delivery of the first of two ships for moving grain from Thunder Bay across the Great Lakes. CWB Marquis, an Equinox class laker, is currently crossing the Pacific Ocean from China, and is expected to reach the St. Lawrence Seaway via the Panama Canal by the end… Read More
A repeat of last winter’s logistical nightmare for grain in Western Canada is unlikely. That’s because a combination of factors, including the federal shipping mandates for CN and CP Rail, summer weather and a smaller 2014 crop, have reduced the size of the rail backlog, noted the head of the company that monitors grain movement… Read More
As we say goodbye to October, colder weather is setting in just as the markets could be warming up. More than a few analysts are pointing to soy meal as a driver of the sustained rally we’ve seen in the grain markets recently, but the move is now beyond “rational levels”. With an increase in… Read More
Agricultural legislators from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico met in Chicago last week for the Tri-National Accord — an annual meeting of provincial, state and national delegates to discuss agricultural trade issues. U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL), the impact of PED virus on North American hog production and challenges with grain logistics were three… Read More
Farmers of North America is urgently seeking farmers willing to invest in acquiring a majority stake in CWB (formerly the Canadian Wheat Board.) The “farmer business alliance” has hosted dozens of farmer meetings across Western Canada over the last few weeks — right in the middle of harvest for most potential investors. While the plans that… Read More
CWB today announced the construction of its fourth state-of-the-art grain elevator located half a mile south of Glenlea, near St. Adolphe, Manitoba. Situated off Highway 75, CWB’s newest elevator will feature 34,000 tonnes (mT) of storage and is scheduled to open in early 2016. The geotechnical survey for the elevator is complete and construction is scheduled… Read More
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has decided it will not hear the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) Level of Service Complaint originally filed on May 26, 2014. In its decision, which responds to motions to dismiss from both railways, the CTA concluded there was not sufficient evidence to proceed with the complaint, according to a… Read More
The organization representing major grain elevator companies in Western Canada says it believes both Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) have failed to meet weekly grain shipping requirements for extended periods of time since the weekly minimum thresholds were implemented back in March. The federal agriculture minister confirmed last week that the… Read More
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