Ag Minister Stewart concerned about lack of Saskatchewan grain movement

Mar 06, 2018

The lack of grain shipments coming out of Saskatchewan is concerning the provinces’ Minister of Agriculture.

Latest numbers show a sharp drop off in supplied hopper car orders, especially from CN, who dropped from 34% down to 29%.

Lyle Stewart held a meeting via teleconference with both CP Rail and CN to talk about this issue, before addressing reporters late Friday afternoon.

He said with CN only meeting their orders five out of the last 23 weeks and CP meeting it 10 out of the last 23, it’s not just the weather affecting the shipments.

“We forcefully made that point with both railways that it’s cold in western Canada in the winter, and that’s not new,” stated Stewart. “However, the stats nowadays, the trains are longer and nowadays, they shorten trains in Alberta before they cross the mountains when the temperature is below minus 20.”

Stewart said the winter plays a role, it can’t be the sole impediment to grain shipments, something he said the companies acknowledged.

However, when it comes down to it, Stewart said it’s simple: Saskatchewan has many trade partners counting on their shipments to arrive in good condition and on time.

Source : CKRM

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.