Canada’s big two railways expect to be able to meet the federal government’s new mandatory requirements for Prairie grain movement — but warn it will take further commitments all along the supply chain. Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway responded Friday to Transport Minister Lisa Raitt’s order-in-council, which immediately sets out minimum volumes […]

Canadian Pacific Railway’s CEO has warned readers of Canada’s two national newspapers that adding more rail cars and locomotives now on CP track would serve only to worsen the grain backlog on the Prairies. Writing in full-page CP advertisements in Thursday’s Globe and Mail and National Post, Hunter Harrison said adding more cars to a […]

Canberra | Reuters — Drought conditions across Australia’s east coast will cut production of key agricultural commodities such as wheat and beef next season and reduce exports, the government’s chief commodities forecaster said on Tuesday. The current season could see Australia, the world’s third-largest wheat exporter, produce a bumper wheat crop, with increased plantings and […]

Sydney | Reuters — Australia will issue its 2014-15 wheat production forecast next week, but with hot, dry weather across its east coast and the threat of a dry El Nino weather pattern developing, the supply picture from the world’s second largest exporter is uncertain. The Australian Bureau of Agriculture, Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) […]

Sacramento | Reuters — A large winter storm brought much-needed relief to parched California on Friday, boosting its reservoirs and dropping snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains, but the precipitation will not be enough to counter years of drought, officials said. California is in its third year of a drought that may break all records […]

Canadian National Railway (CN) plans to close down several stretches of its main line on the Prairies for the weekend starting Friday night, citing “ongoing extreme cold weather.” CN said in an email Friday (Feb. 28) it will suspend operations from 8 p.m. local time until 8 a.m. Monday morning (March 3) on six subdivisions. […]

Sydney | Reuters – The Australian government will provide a A$320 million (C$319 million) assistance package to help farmers ravaged by years of drought across the east coast, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Wednesday. With pockets of Queensland and New South Wales recording the lowest-ever rainfall levels, farmers in the world’s third-biggest beef exporter […]

The Alberta government is calling on federal lawmakers to impose a system of “immediate” cash penalties against railways that don’t meet obligations on grain delivery. The province’s agriculture minister Verlyn Olson is booked to meet Monday in Winnipeg with his federal counterpart, Gerry Ritz, plus representatives from the grain industry and Canadian Grain Commission. Up […]

Reuters — Canadian fertilizer producer Agrium said Friday the cost of expanding its west-central Saskatchewan potash mine had jumped 25 per cent from the original estimate, after cold and windy weather hampered construction. The Calgary-based company plans to complete its project at Vanscoy, about 20 km southwest of Saskatoon, by the end of 2014, boosting […]

Los Banos, Calif. | Reuters — U.S. President Barack Obama toured parts of California’s drought zone on Friday and pledged to speed help to the No. 1 farm state, but he said harsh weather in the U.S. will get worse until more steps are taken to address climate change. California is coming off its driest […]