Cn cp

[helmsdale]

I heard the same thing. No new contracted grain until the labor dispute is settled.

The email sent out though, said even for contracted grain, you need to phone ahead to ensure they've got room for you. They're willing to work with customers on harvest deliveries, but by and large if you can store it, they'd prefer you store it.

[blackpowder]

Unions have their place in negotiation, but with this should come the responsibility and respect for the needs of the industry they serve.

Maybe unions should have their pension funds in the public stock of the companies they serve.

[Blaithin]

The email sent out though, said even for contracted grain, you need to phone ahead to ensure they've got room for you. They're willing to work with customers on harvest deliveries, but by and large if you can store it, they'd prefer you store it.

Once they’re full, they’re full. If a train doesn’t show up it won’t matter if grain is contracted or not. A lot are probably going to be running mostly on a first come, first serve, basis for harvest. Some may be keeping some space empty as turning space in case it ends up being a prolonged period of no shipping.

It’s a rotten time to have no shipping. Grain quality can be sketchy as fields are tested, bin space on farms can fill with half a truck left, plans for hauling off combine get nixed… strikes are always a pain but this one has the potential to be the king hemorrhoid.

[WiltonRanch]

If this turns into a prolonged fiasco where does it leave corn cars coming from the states to the feedlots?

[Blaithin]

Wouldn’t be any corn.

Which would at least be a silver lining for the super light weight barley. Feedlots wouldn’t have another option.

Depending what deal is signed, I can see them being hesitant to rely on rail this winter no matter how long it lasts.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

That's what I was thinking as well about the imported corn. And evidently once a feedlot/mill switches they don't like to switch back and forth so they will probably stick with barley or wheat instead of unpredictable corn if that happens.

[Blaithin]

Farmer and I were just talking about it. They feed some cattle over the winter. It’s nothing for the feedlot nutritionists to set the rations up for 40lb barley. The protein so far is phenomenal. If everyone’s got light weight, high protein barley then once the rations are set, they’re set. No switching back and forth between heavy and light weight stuff.

So feedlots pay less for lightweight and have the rations set for that weight - they won’t care. Why pay to bring up corn and worry about those issues.

Yeah they don’t want to pay $7 for a load of light stuff when their bins are all 50+lbs but if everything coming in is light, less of an issue.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Does anyone know how much it is cost right now to land corn in feedlot alley? I believe a small amount was coming in by truck in the past as well?

[helmsdale]

Once they’re full, they’re full. If a train doesn’t show up it won’t matter if grain is contracted or not.

I definitely understand. I suspect that there was considerable "carry over" at this location as they would have likely suspected there'll be alot of light weight durum in the neighborhood. Their main commodities are durum, lentils, and yellow peas. If they could hold a decent amount of "heavy" durum, they would have blending ability this year. As one friend who grows HRS told me, "I might have to download an app to learn mandarin so I can pawn this stuff off as brown rice rather than take a 3 on account of weight!" Another neighbor has been going on early seeded durum and the volume is quite impressive given the year, but it was in super early and his combine is telling him ~30bu/ac by volume, and then he dumps it into his cart and it says 27... Rough math says its 57lb... That is gonna be awful hard to make disappear.

On another note, I think I seen on X that canada pulled a durum contract for delivery to one of the north african countries? Contracted loads were apparently panamax, so Im guessing that'll come out of vancouver and transit the canal? First question, is the canal back in full operation? I haven't seen anything lately. 2nd is that durum in store vancouver? Because I'll be damned if I want to eat the demurage costs associated with empty boats sitting in harbor while the crew parties it up on shore!

[bucket]

The freedom convoy supposedly cost the economy billions in trade which led some of the justification to the emergencies act. At the very least if this stale bunch of liberals can't see the end game here and start tomorrow with talk of back to work legislation or arbitration , there is something wrong with this country.

Railways should never have concurrent contracts or expiry dates in the September to November time frame. Why would the government allow that?