this should give CNCP something to think about!

[Crestliner]

Farma, AGT is operating in a very difficult environment that being cash specialty crops being sold in difficult regions of the world. Then on top of that dealing with an incredible unreliable inland transport network in Canada. Profits and stock price reflect that reality. They have done a lot to expand and move up the food chain and maybe that saves them. However the Co. is basically run by one man (backed with Turkey money) and eventually he will burn out. Hopefully before that there is other management in place to carry on and or they are sold to a larger enterprise that can carry the huge risk they are exposed to daily. I hope they don't go the way of SWP, but I would not plan to hold the stock long term and the analysis that cover it have really no idea past the numbers how tough that industry is.

[farming101]

They have a lot of debt. New assets have to contribute to the bottom line.
I wonder if this purchase will do that if the focus is simply bulk shipping?

Am I reading the financials right? A good part of the purchase price was for Good Will?

[sumdumguy]

Many special crop marketers have come and gone over the last 35 years. This industry has been plagued by a very high rate of processing and marketing company turnover. I would say crop failure while you have pre-sold crop has been the greatest cause of sudden death, but foreign exchange risk and incredible transportation problems have taken their toll for sure because the industry depends on getting the right product to the right market on-time. I can't imagine the headaches involved in being captain of such a big ship as AGT. I wish the best to Murad and all special crop processors and marketers in the new year. Just to let you know many of the processors are working through Christmas so that the dots line up. For the 100 or more country processors who work in inclement weather so that we enjoy as close to true competition as we can get, we are eternally grateful.

[farming101]

For sure Sumdum. Where would ag be without the pulse business.
Wheat never seems to fire on all cylinders.

[wmoebis]

Too bad the short lines weren't retained and utilized before elevators and rail lines torn out.

Kudos to forethought of the likes of Westcental Road and Rail.

[blackpowder]

I might be wrong but....
Everytime i go to the local cargill crush plant i see miles of new looking cars inbound or outbound. Not one of them a taxpayer owned car. Someone in the industry paid for them. And they dont seem to have a shortage. I wonder if cargill has the govt or some other 'groups' telling them who pays for what and how much?

[bucket]

They just tore out the line from hodgeville to wherever.

Reusing the rail to put a spur into the bethune potash mine. Great recycling but the hodgeville concrete might as well be blown up.

There isnt one politician that would have saved it in that area or forced viterra to sell it to someone as it wouldn't be considered a strategic resource or something to do with the riders.

[Guest]

politicians won't do shit , farmers nearby should of parked their shit on the railroad . got media involved . I wouldn't be surprised if we are nearing the end of rail line abandonment . people will wake up soon and stop this horseshit . the hodge ville line is an absolute shame

[sumdumguy]

no line in this vast expanse should ever be ripped out. It's just too hard to get it there in the first place.

[farmaholic]

From the research I did, the Hodgeville concrete was built in 2000 and the write-up said the train stopped coming afew years prior to the article date, July 2014. So, SWP didn't get any long term commitment from CP when it built this concrete tombstone? Basically about 20 years service. What changed at Hodgeville? Ok, other than the general freight that was hauled to build the whole countryside from the beginning of settlement, no less land is being farmed and if take the productivity gains into account over the decades there should be more grain to haul... . I wonder what the roads look like around the area. Couldn't they made it into a branch line with a dedicated locomotive(an older one they don't want to put into service on the mainline but would be good enough to pull a unit train(or whatever)away from that terminal? The damn thing would likely last forever, just like a spare tractor on your farm that doesn't see alot of hours per year like it would if it was your main power.

Obviously what the **** do I know, just a simple minded farmer with no vision!!!