Tag: Western Grain Elevator Association

The Western Canadian grain trade, with the support of the Prairie provinces, is launching a campaign to push for changes to “outdated and problematic” federal rules around the oversight of Canada’s ports, mainly driven by cost increases at the Port of Vancouver over the last few years. The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says its… Read More

Grain companies have laid out their priorities for the current review of the Canada Grain Act, with consultations underway until April 30. There have been multiple attempts to update the Act going back to the early 2000s, but they’ve all been derailed before reaching the point where the legislation was changed. As Wade Sobkowich, executive… Read More

After several years of waiting, Canadian farmers will be able to use the plant growth regulator (PGR) known as Manipulator on wheat destined for the U.S., beginning in 2018. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published the regulation establishing a maximum residue limit for chlormequat chloride — the active ingredient in Manipulator — on Wednesday (April… Read More

“It’s not perfect, but it is better than we expected.” The new rail legislation introduced by the federal government checks off most of the boxes on the list for grain shippers, says Wade Sobkowich, who represents major grain companies as executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association. Bill C-49 would give shippers the right… Read More

This week on RealAg Radio, Shaun and Kelvin debated whether farmers were benefitting from the spat between the railways and the Western Grain Elevators Association, and more specifically executive director Wade Sobokowich. See More: Railways Offering “Pretty Good” Performance, Amid PR Effort and Finger-Pointing What do you think? Is this finger pointing by the railways… Read More

It’s not often we hear grain company spokespeople commend railways, but that’s the case this fall, as the grain supply chain handles one of the largest crops in Western Canadian history. “As a general statement, we think rail performance has been pretty good this fall,” says Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator… Read More

As the time for applying a plant growth regulator (PGR) to wheat approaches, there have been many questions about whether Manipulator, a PGR introduced in Canada by Engage Agro in 2015, has been approved for exports into the US. The answer is no. “Engage Agro does not anticipate the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the… Read More

Did you ever play a game of chicken as a kid? You know the game where you and a buddy ride your bikes full speed at each other and the first one to bail off the collision path is the chicken. Its truly a silly game that lacks true skills of intelligence or strategy but… Read More

The message to canola growers from the Canola Council of Canada and grain companies over the last few months has been straightforward: Don’t apply quinclorac herbicide to canola this year because it could jeopardize exports. Farmers will have to sign a declaration saying their canola has not been treated with quinclorac for it to be accepted… Read More

Producer and grain industry groups are applauding the federal government’s plan to extend measures meant to keep grain moving to market by rail. Several provisions implemented during the grain backlog in 2014 as part of Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, are scheduled to be repealed on August 1, 2016. On Friday, Ag… Read More