Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Canadian grain farmers typically battle a range of difficulties from weather related events to escalating input and equipment cost to fluctuations of returns. While the 2013 crop was generally one of the largest on record, concerns are now mounting because of the inability of railways to move grain to customers fast enough. Federal and provincial politicians have been pointing accusatory fingers at Canada's railways and suggesting the companies — CN and CP — have not done everything they can to meet the demand for rail cars. The speaker will address these issues and the long term opportunities & challenges for Canadian grain producers. He will also outline the role of the Grain Growers of Canada in marketing the crop and who the main grain exporters in Canada are now that the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly has ended. Where are the main export markets for Canadian grain? Are farmers benefitting from more competition among grain handling companies? What are some of the options Provincial and Fed