The railways win again! Didn't expect farmers to win!

[food4u]

So much for the"cold weather " theory.In
a train magazine that I get from Ottawa
there is mention of " CP potash train
west bound at Field,BC. This train is
made up of 5 locomotive and 188 potash
cars."This was on Jan.25/2014.One
question,"do potash cars carry 90 tonnes
like grain cars or 100 tonnes?

[LWeber]

Food4u:

Temperatures on January 25, 2014

Saskatoon - plus 3.4
Calgary - plus 11.2
Banff - zero
Cranbrook - minus 2.2

I really wanted them to be different ...

[bucket]

One unit train equals roughly 10000 tonnes equals 367400 bushels at a west coast price ( or insurance price if you like) equals 3,674,000 dollars worth of wheat. One unit train.

So if the railways are late they can pay the penalty.

On a 500000 tonne ( 18,000,000 bushels)weekly program, the cost of the penalty in per bushel term is .005 per bushel.

Meanwhile farmers in western canada are at a 3 dollar per bushel discount because of logistic problem in Canada.

Yep sure sounds like a lot of math was done when they set the penalty.

RAITT and RITZ are having their pops tonite laughing at farmers along with their friends from the railways and graincos.

[sawfly]

thanks larry for putting the fines in perspective.

we have been thru this a thousand
times.
sick of treating a monopoly, like it is
going to act like a regular competitive
business in a free market.

doing that over and over and expecting a different result.
Insanity

Furrow we can not know
what lib.s or NDP would have done.
esp. the NDP

we just know what has not been done

the rail service
in western Canada , feeds the economic engine of the west. and Canada too.

not just grain, but potash ,oil lumber
coal.

how can this govt. or any govt.
ignore this fact.

time to rethink the whole system.

nothing less than the best, most efficient, bulk
rail transport in the world.
is what's required.

it is a no brain er.

for the supposed party of
business acumen , not to see this
or do anything. Pathetic .

it is just too important to have CN &CP
squeezing off the fuel line to the country.

[SASKFARMER3]

We need a railway plan in Canada that's what a government is for. Get a strategy or we will have the same shit that happened last winter repeat over and over and over. We put up our Billions in lost sales. Show some leadership and find a solution.

[grower99]

I agree %100. It's time for this harper
govt to help work out a plan for
transportation that works for all parties
and not one that favours only the
railways.Also,how much thought actually
went into UPOV91 so we will know what the
seed industry will like in 10 years. This
govt appears to be a slave to big
interests. Very unfortunate;I thought it
would be better.

[SASKFARMER3]

I think a lot of people on different boards that attend these meetings. Seed or railways. Attend for a reason they play farm or don't farm or say they farm or have their kids do all the work etc Real hands on I doubt.
Or people don't learn history. The railways since 1918 have had a great time.
Sad we need leadership now more than ever and I don't think we have any on the Ag file.
We need someone who can push his weight plus is logical plus understands its Farmer 1 then trickle down. Not Top down to us.
The seed will be like Canola $60.00 a acre for seed, Deregister great varieties and keep coming up with SFA in traits but tell us its a little better than before.
Canola is prime example. It will happen with Wheat.

[bucket]

I may have voted conservative for the
last time.

There are farms losing 100,000 on basis
levels due to logistic problems and this
is the best they can do.

And give the railways 4 weeks to gear
up.

It really disappointing.

This goverment can't do the math.

[fjlip]

Same here bucket these guys seem to in the pocket of BIG business and screw the rest of us. Wake up voters, check the facts.

[parsley]

Keep your eye on the ball, bucket. pars.