CFA attends meeting with Ministers of Transport and Agriculture

Oct 21, 2016

Grain transportation is a key issue for farmers this harvest season

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) was one of about 19 farm organizations that met with Minister of Transport Marc Garneau and Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay to discuss issues relating to grain transportation.

Farmers are concerned that with an extremely large crop on the horizon, there could be a bottlenecking when it comes to transporting grain.

CFA says the meeting was a good way to bring concerns to the forefront.

“We felt that the meeting was a good first step in strengthening relationships between Transport Canada and farm groups,” Ron Bennett, CFA president, said in a release. “Our views and concerns were made clear, and were echoed by a number of other western grain organizations also in attendance.”

Daniel Stein//iStock/Getty Images Plus

Some groups feel that when push comes to shove, farmers will be taken care of, as long as the railways do their part too.

“I don’t actually think it will be a problem,” Norm Hall, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, told CKOM. “CN is usually on time. CP is a concern because they’re usually aren’t on time. If CP isn’t moving the grain on time, it affects the bottom line for farmers.”

Ministers Garneau and MacAulay said they understand the importance of Canada’s grain sector and that reliable rail transportation helps farmers contribute to the economy.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.