GX94 Agriculture

Canadian grain exports for the new crop year are off to a good start, but it's likely aided by anticipation of a rail strike or lockout.

CN and CPKC Rail supplied a combined 72% of hopper cars ordered in grain week 1, a notable decline from the 81% order fulfillment performance seen in week 53.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway Co. (CN Rail) and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, union representing about 9,300 workers, are gearing up for a potential work stoppage later this week.

Ottawa has announced up to $6.5 million in funding to Bio-industrial Innovation Canada (BIC) through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

It's a new chapter for Ray Orb, as he is now adjusting to life after being the president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) for the last ten years, and twenty overall with the Board. Thursday was his last day in the role.

Harvest progress went up a little bit in Saskatchewan, as six per cent has been combined.

Harvest continues in fall rye and winter wheat in Manitoba, and has started in spring wheat, barley, and peas. Yield reports are preliminary at this stage. Most spring cereals are at hard dough to physiological maturity.

As harvest ramps up around the province, SaskPower is reminding producers to be safe around power lines.

With a potential labour disruption on both major railways starting August 22, a cloud has been cast over fall grain deliveries. Hopefully, a strike or lockout does not occur on August 22, but at this point it doesn’t look promising.