Who owns Port Facilities/Export Terminals

[malleefarmer]

Who owns the ports and export facilities in canada?
Here in South Australia, viterra do who got them when they took over ABB grain.

Despite deregulated market it is basically a regional monoloply as they own the ports and can charge other exporters what they want to use them and or make life as difficult or as easy for them as they choose.

It used to be farmer owned but alas farmers took the money and ran and sold to ABB who in turn got taken over by vitterra, its not healthy.

If anyone looks at vitteras profit most of it comes through the australian aquisition.

[charliep]

Terminal facilities at port are owned by private grain companies (including
Viterra). The only exception is Prince Rupert which is a consortium which
includes government investment (province of Alberta for sure and
Saskatchewan I think).

[charliep]

More information than you likely wanted but below is a Canadian Grain Commission list of licensed grain
companies. The group you are looking for is terminals. Some of the names are individual grain companies.
Others are consortiums of several.

[URL="http://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/licensee-licence/licensed-agreees-eng.htm"]licenced elevators[/URL]

Defin

[Burbert]

We should sell our interests in facilities and terminals, here in Kanada too. Level the playing field with Oz, then we too, could be further behind the 8 ball. Come on Angrybusiness do your worst, we farmers kin take, it, off load it all, I say. Drive grain prices down to 1 penny per bushel, then we'll all truly be happy out on the farm!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dave4441]

Burbert-why is the US system generally considered lower cost and more efficent then? I realize you will not answer this question but instead focus your time talking like a 3 yr old.

[redleaf]

Well I don't want to start a pssing contest here because I am certainly not an expert on the subject,(perhaps Charlie could offer some expertise), but could it be that the american system is considered more effecient because many costs of barging grain on the mississipi and in the north west are born by the taxpayer through extensive use of the us army corp of engineers?

[dave4441]

that is part of it, but the CWB is a license to print money for the line cos, look at the cost for elevation and storage. It is nuts.

[cityguy]

US system is a blow and go #2 YC / #2 YSB / #2 SRW / #2 HRW ords type system with not a lot of seperations wanted or needed. there will be some IP type stuff but by and large it's not that complicated. The more complicated stuff like spring wheat is a very small part of the system. It's also a system that can essentially take in half the crop at harvest into the commercial system, in some states more. Says that the commercial system can mix/blend/sort at origina a lot better than the relatively small Canadian system. Primary elevator space in each of the provinces can hold about 10% of the crop. North Dakota has enough commercial space for 50% of the crop, much like Iowa or Illinois. States like Texas/Oklahoma can store 80% of the crop in commercial elevators.

[wmoebis]

The CWB doesn't set the elevation, cleaning and drying charges. The grain companies do, then the CGC okays them. Just like peas, lentils et al.

At one time the CGC set the charges now they just tell us what the grain Co's are going to charge us.

[wmoebis]

Mallee;

We farmers used to own the majority of the terminals at ports through our farmer owned grain companies and co-ops however we voted to put our companies for sale to public and lose control.

Personally, I think it was better when we had the major shares in the ports because then any profits that were made for handling, cleaning, blending and sale of dockage was paid back to producers. We can still own shares in the companies that own the ports but they are not exclusively farmer owned and ran.

I am sure there are others who think differently and that is okay. We have what we voted for, right or wrong.