CN Rail notches record grain movement for March as it clears blockade backlog

Apr 03, 2020

MONTREAL - Canadian National Railway Co. hit an all-time record for March grain movement.

Chief operating officer Rob Reilly says the 2.62 million tonnes of grain is a 6.1 per cent increase from 2017, the previous record for March.

The numbers come as the country's largest railroad operator works to clear a backlog built up after a month of blockades erected across the country in February in solidarity with the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation in northwestern British Columbia.

CN grain director David Przednowek says high demand for flour and durum from mills during the COVID-19 pandemic will likely drive high grain volumes in the coming months as producers seek to shore up staple reserves.

Reilly says overall container shipments are down after China slashed production as part of its quarantine measures, though domestic container movement is on the rise as Canadian distributors and customers bulk up on supplies while contending with a trucking shortage.

He says coal is moving well, but that traffic of auto parts and crude oil is decreasing due to factory shutdowns and rock-bottom oil prices.

Source : FCC

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.