THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017
VOL. 95 | NO. 21 | $4.25
Reaction to livestock transport rules
Agronomy Special From soil health to drones. | P. 44-47
Proposed regulations receive more criticism. | P. 48
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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Farmers less likely to own land they farm: census Initial capital outlay cited as major factor BY BRIAN CROSS SASKATOON NEWSROOM
MULTI-TASKING |
Cody Longson adds fertilizer to his air seeder May 14 as he prepares to plant canola in a field southwest of High River, Alta. | MIKE STURK PHOTO
RAIL SERVICE
New grain transportation bill prompts cheers among farmers
Canadian farmers are producing more grain than ever and they’re growing it on more land than ever. However, a larger proportion of what they produce is being grown on land that’s owned by someone else. That’s especially the case in Western Canada. “We’re seeing that an increasing proportion of the land being operated by farmers is rented or leased … or crop shared,” said Erik Dorff, an analyst with the Census of Agriculture. “I think there are a number of factors. One is the capital cost for land…. The other thing we know is that there are areas that are rented from people that aren’t part of the agricultural universe. They’re just landlords.”
Legislation broadens interswitching but confusion remains about exactly how the new system will work
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SEE FARMERS LESS LIKELY, PAGE 5 REGINA BUREAU
Widespread grain industry support for new federal transport legislation introduced last week comes with questions about how new long-haul interswitching provisions will work and what happens when extended interswitching expires this summer. Farmers and grain companies applauded Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act, for containing much of what they had asked for to improve rail service. It includes reciprocal financial penalties, a strengthened definition of adequate and suitable service, improved data sharing by the railways, and maintenance but tweaking of the maximum revenue
entitlement (MRE). However, the new legislation likely won’t be in place when the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act and its terms of 160-kilometre extended interswitching ends Aug. 1. The new bill promises long-haul interswitching of up to 1,200 km or 50 percent of the Canadian haul, whichever is greater. It will apply across the country and to all commodities. Jeff Nielsen, president of Grain Growers of Canada, said farmers told Transport Minister Marc Garneau during a discussion May 18 that they would like the 160 km limit to remain in place in the interim. “The minister stated in front of the group that they will be closely monitoring rail transportation into the new crop year and if they had to
JEFF NIELSEN GRAIN GROWERS OF CANADA
they would react,” he said. “We would still like to see that part carry on until the new act is in effect.” Other organizations, including the Canadian Canola Growers Association, have had similar comments. “While C-49 introduces a new concept called long-haul inter-
switching as a replacement, the concept appears quite complex and will require considerable evaluation to assess its workability,” said canola growers association chief executive officer Rick White. Former Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who said the bill “got most of it right,” called that change troubling. “I’m not sure how you make that work,” he said. “We’re talking akin to joint running rights. It’s something that isn’t doable with today’s safety concerns, and interoperability just isn’t there. When cars move on, who’s liable for what when it’s changed over to someone else’s line?”
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