Grain Farmers of Ontario Pleased to See Resolution to CN Rail Strike

Guelph, ON – Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province‘s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario‘s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers today offers congratulations to Canadian National Railway Co and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference on the resolution of the longest train strike in a decade.

 

The week-long strike quickly had a large, negative impact on grain farming in Ontario, and across Canada, as much-needed propane was no longer being shipped by rail and had to be rationed at a time when farmers needed it more than ever to dry wet grain.

 

“We are extremely pleased to see this strike come to an end and we hope for very quick ratification for all parties. Ontario‘s grain farmers were already dealing with a highly stressful harvest season that was too wet and too cold. Many of our farmer-members desperately need propane to fuel grain dryers. We cannot sell wet corn and our crops were at real risk,” said Markus Haerle, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “Farmers who had to find alternate drying means have suffered added costs and those that left corn in the field are dealing with deteriorating quality of their crop. We are hopeful that propane shipping will be seen as a high priority for everyone involved as the backlog of shipments is dealt with.”

 

Grain Farmers of Ontario expects the backlog to take some time to sort out before propane and other necessary items are moving at normal delivery cadence.

 

“It is very clear that rail is an essential service for this country. We expect the government will treat it as such in the near future,” continued Haerle.

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.