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Contact:
David Walker
Edmonton, AB
T6H 1Y8, Canada
phone: +01 780 434 7615
email: davidw@open-i.ca top of page

Please note: Much of the archive, particularly the older stuff, is archived on the my UK website. If you get marooned there, hit the return button until you see the green and gold of the Canadian site, or enter http://open-i.ca/ on the "go to" line to return to the home page of the Canadian site.

  • By Date of Publication 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 , 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,
  • Foot and Mouth, Beef Trade, BSE, Growth Hormones, etc.
  • Genetically Modified Crops
  • Cereal Markets
  • Other Topics

    • By date of publication, 2014

  • October 24, 2014: Different Crop Supply Pressures - With a much reduced need for crop movements off the Prairies, pressure on the railways has diminished in a Canadian but not a US context. (740 words)
  • September 16, 2014: An Easier Crop Supply Situation - Canadian yearend crop inventory has increased, but record movements of last year's record harvest and prospects for a more typical crop this year means supplies are likely to be handled with less stress.(760 words)
  • August 27, 2014: 2014-15 Grain Movement Outlook - with a more normal 2014 Canadian crop and the great job that the railways are doing moving the 2013 crop, marketing capacity will not be a challenge during the 2014-15 crop year.(1,090 words)
  • July 18, 2014: A Lull in Grain Movement? - after a hectic spring it seems there may be a lull in the push to move grain off the Prairies. Understanding why may be critical for anticipating the potential for another storm after harvest.(835 words)
  • June 10, 2014: Marketing the 2013 Prairie Crop - Light at the End of the Tunnel - basis levels have narrowed reflecting some tightening of available supplies during the spring field work season. Whether they will narrow further over the summer months or not until the fall will depend largely on 2014 crop prospects. (850 words)
  • May 5, 2014: A Positive Grain Stocks Report - The March 31 stocks report indicates supplies from the very large 2013 Canadian harvest continue to be worked down to a level that will not appear burdensome at the end of the crop year. (480 words)
  • March 12, 2014: Dictating Grain Movement, Political Brilliance - The federal government's decision to dictate grain movement by the railways is political and unlikely to have much impact on the railways or anybody else. But the timing is without doubt brilliant and the costs minimal. (540 words)
  • Feb 11, 2014: Components of the Grain Price Recovery - The decline in Prairie grain prices has been caused more by transportation and handling restraints than international market developments. The former will likely be largely resolved by the end of the crop year, but the latter will take longer. (1,250 words)
  • Jan. 21, 2014: Moving the Massive 2013 Crop - Performance of the grain movement system since the record 2013 harvest suggests the crop can be moved before space is needed for the 2014 crop. (1,100 words)

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