WGRF to Receive Payment from CN Rail

[gustgd]

December 19, 2014 / Saskatoon



The Canadian Transportation Agency issued Decision No. 451-R-2014 on December 18, 2014 ruling that the revenues of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) are under its maximum revenue entitlement and that the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) has exceeded its maximum revenue entitlement for crop year 2013-2014. The Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) will receive $5,231,011 from CN for exceeding its revenue entitlement. The news release on the ruling is available from the Canadian Transportation Agency website at www.cta-otc.gc.ca.

In 2000, the Federal Government named WGRF under the Canada Transportation Act as the organization that would receive funds that were deemed to be in excess of the maximum revenue entitlements allowed for CN and CP. The excess fund plus a five percent penalty are paid into the WGRF Endowment Fund.

“As a producer I would prefer that the railways stay below their maximum revenue entitlements, however when these entitlements are exceeded WGRF and its Board of Directors will invest these funds into field crop research to the benefit of all western Canadian farmers,” said Dave Sefton, WGRF Board Chair.

“The WGRF Endowment Fund is having a significant impact on western Canadian agriculture. WGRF is planning to invest $9 million from the Endowment Fund in 2015, up from $5.8 million in 2014,” said Sefton.

New projects include a $5 million dollar commitment to the Genome Canada Large Scale Applied Research Program and initiation of plans to increase agronomy research capacity in western Canada. WGRF has current commitments of $22 million to co-fund 125 projects in collaboration with 30 other funding organizations.

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For further information, contact:
Mike Espeseth
Communications Manager
Western Grains Research Foundation
Saskatoon, SK
306-975-0365


WGRF Backgrounder
WGRF is a farmer funded and directed non-profit organization investing in agricultural research that benefits western Canadian producers. Since 1981, the WGRF Board has given producers a voice in agricultural research funding decisions. WGRF manages an Endowment Fund and the wheat and barley variety development check-off funds, investing over $14 million in 2014 into breeding and field crop research.

A complete history of the funds WGRF has received through the revenue cap is as follows:

2003-04 Crop Year CN: $338,007
2004-05 Crop Year CN: $124,650
2005-06 Crop Year CP CN: $3,412,780
2006-07 Crop Year CP: $3,532,820
2007-08 Crop Year CP CN: $66,620,585
2008-09 Crop Year CN: $717,432
2009-10 Crop Year: $0
2010-11 Crop Year CP: $1,314,636
2011-12 Crop Year CP CN: $672,332
2012-13 Crop Year CP: $186,859

[poorboy]

They got 66 million in 2007-8????

[checking]

The pricks took your money, poorboy, not the railways, and brag about it.

[tweety]

Well when you think of the huge advances in cereals germplasm, money well spent.

Anyone know what those advances were again?

[farming101]

Wheat midge resistance for one. Maybe someone who wasn't aware that AAFC and CDC brought this forward could do a bit of research and find out how much this has saved farmers in spray bills and how much it has saved the environment from not having to spray more poison on the land.

[farming101]

Also, what is the value that would be placed on not having your crop downgraded due to wheat midge damage. Anyone on this forum ever benefited from midge resistant wheat? Tweety? Ever tried it?

[bucket]

I think Lillian wheat is sawfly resistant?

But back to the topic.

It seems every year these guys overcharge us for freight. And yet the cta gives them rubber stamped increases every year as well.

No fines yet for lack of movement and this should divert the attention away from that issue.

[wmoebis]

Is it only producers who benefit from advancements in seed tech? Grain Co's, millers, Bakers, Chem companies nobody else gets any benefit? Shouldn't they have to equaly invest? No benefit to Canada as a whole?
I think it should be Canada as a whole that pays and farmers be only a part of the beneficiaries.

[bucket]

It does seem that end users get a better product for less money.

Oops that's socialist NFU thinking.

Funny though, when gm or ford research better cars we get a better product for more money. Who woulduv thunk it?

[Rareearth]

For comparison sake, we have low Cadnium durum varieties in canada, it is now a priority for usa plant breeders.

[tweety]

Farming101, yes. But parasites are far more effective.