Mechanics, intermodal and clerical workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) who were on the brink of striking in March have voted to ratify the agreements that kept them off the […] Read more
Crops

CN’s mechanics, intermodal staff ratify labour deal
Agreement averted strike in March

U.S. grains: Wheat futures sink on rains, global supplies
U.S. winter wheat conditions likely improved in past week
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures tumbled to fresh lows on Monday on ample world supplies, sluggish U.S. export demand and beneficial rains in key production areas of the […] Read more

Federal workers reach tentative deal
Over 120,000 PSAC members back on job Monday
Over 120,000 striking federal government employees are expected to return to work starting Monday morning (May 1) after reaching tentative agreements overnight. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) announced […] Read more

Go bigger on interswitching pilot, grain groups urge Ottawa
Railways say the measure creates inefficiencies; farm groups say the opposite is true
Farm groups from across the country are asking producers to lobby federal ministers and MPs and urge them to super-size a government proposal for what’s called ‘extended interswitching.’ The measure, […] Read more

Limagrain offers to buy out seed maker Vilmorin
Pride Seeds co-owner has majority stake in veg seed firm
Paris | Reuters — French agricultural co-operative Limagrain has offered to buy the 28.78 per cent of Vilmorin it does not already own in a deal that values one of […] Read more

Prairie cash wheat: Bids drop sharply
U.S. wheat futures well down on week
MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada dropped sharply lower during the last week of April, as a selloff in U.S. futures more than offset any support from a […] Read more

Deal reached to resume Ukraine grain transit with five EU countries
Agreement includes support package for local farmers
Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission said Friday it had reached a deal in principle to allow transit of Ukrainian grain to resume through five European Union countries that […] Read more

U.S. grains: Chicago grains up off new lows, end week higher
Wheat rebounds off another 21-month low
Reuters — Chicago grain and soybean futures ended higher on Friday after posting fresh lows earlier as traders anticipated hefty global supplies and kept an eye on weather in the […] Read more

PSAC federal worker strike could hit at grain transport
Prolonged strike could cause grain shipment delays, lead to demurrage costs
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strike is drawing fire from Canadian agricultural commodity groups — mostly concerned with how grain transportation could be disrupted. The Western Canadian Wheat […] Read more

‘Unexpectedly high’ fuel costs lift railways’ revenue index
VRCPIs for CN, CP increased for 2023-24
The index that determines how much Prairie grain handling revenue Canada’s big two railways get to keep will be raised in the coming crop year, mainly on way-higher-than-expected fuel costs. […] Read more