THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
VOL. 93 | NO. 23 | $4.25
Spray Matters A timely and efficient spray application depends on proper preparation. | Page 69
Pulses popular in pet food Pulse crops are the new go-to ingredient for pet owners looking for grain-free kibble. | Page 76 SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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CROP REPORTS BEGIN THIS WEEK | P. 26-27
RISKY BUSINESS OTTO BARLEY found out the hard way: farmers face higher than average risks of melanoma. Are you protecting yourself when you head to work? | PAGE 5
TRANSPORTATION
Frost hits Manitoba canola Minnedosa farmer will have to re-seed crop BY ROBERT ARNASON BRANDON BUREAU
But rail service and capacity remain the main bottlenecks for farmers
Justin Jenner is holding out hope, but he will probably have to reseed nearly 1,000 acres of canola. Jenner, who runs a 4,500 acre grain and cattle operation near Minnedosa, Man., said June 1 that a hard frost acutely damaged his canola fields. Jenner plans to make a decision on re-seeding soon, but he wasn’t feeling optimistic. “It’s looking like most of the (fields) will have to be reseeded,” said Jenner, a Keystone Agricultural Producers vice-president. “We had a couple of fields that got flea beetles real bad. The frost kind of finished them off.” SEE FROST HITS CANOLA, PAGE 4
Grain groups pleased by new terminal plans
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BY SEAN PRATT SASKATOON NEWSROOM
The grain sector is buoyant about news that Port Metro Vancouver is likely getting a new grain terminal, although some wonder how much impact it will have on exports through the port. “For farmers we’re pretty excited about it,” said Gary Stanford, president of Grain Growers of Canada. “It’s just another outlet to get our grain on ships. I hate seeing all the ships sit there in the winter time with demurrage.” News broke last week that there will likely be an announcement before the end of 2015 that a major
player in the Canadian grain industry will build a new export terminal. Stanford has heard it will be built by G3 Global Grain Group, the company owned by Bunge and the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), which recently acquired a majority interest in CWB. He said the scuttlebutt is that the new facility will have a loop track unloading system that will expedite rail car turnaround. “For us as grain producers to get the cars back out here to the country quicker would be a real benefit for us,” said Stanford. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Ele-
vator Association, said competition is always welcome with one important caveat. “As long as it is done by a company without government assistance then it’s fair game,” he said. Sobkowich doubts a new export terminal will result in any more grain moving through the system unless other changes take place. “Rail service and rail capacity is really the bottleneck,” he said. West coast terminals have the working capacity to unload 686,615 tonnes of grain per week but have been unloading closer to 450,000 tonnes per week on average. SEE GROUPS PLEASED, PAGE 5
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u|xhHEEJBy00001pzYv-:. JUNE 4, 2015 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4 The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240
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