Farmers are having trouble getting their bumper crop of grain from land locked farms in western Canada to ports, and some are blaming the railways. Government statistics indicate the harvest for crops such as wheat, barley, oats and canola is 50 per cent larger than usual.
There is a cap on what railways are allowed to charge for transporting grain and Blair Rutter of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association wonders whether those shipping other commodities are paying more and getting preferential treatment. He says there is a record number of tankers carrying oil by rail.
CN says oil is not displacing grain cars and calls the suggestion “totally specious.”
Farmers are frustrated that even if they do get their grain to market they won’t make much more money than last year because the glut has lowered prices.
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