Producers anxious to get grain moving by rail again

It has already been a very difficult year for prairie farmers. The CN Rail strike was yet another blow.

Todd Lewis, the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS), said the strike has caused a huge backlog of grain that needs to be shipped to port. Lewis is relieved the strike is over, but said there is a lot of work ahead.

“We have a backlog now that’s going to take time to catch up. We certainly want to see it caught up as quickly as possible and not drag out through the entire shipping season,” said Lewis.

“We’re, at a minimum, over 5,000 grain cars behind and probably in reality it’s 10,000 or more. So, it’s going to take time to get something as big as a railroad started up again and we’ll make sure grain has its place on the rails, along with all the other commodities that have to be shipped,” he added.

Lewis couldn’t put a price tag on what this eight-day strike has cost the agriculture community in Saskatchewan. He said that could take a few months to determine, but he said lost opportunities are one cost that could come into play.

“There are opportunity costs,” he said. “Those customers who don’t receive their grain on time, they may look elsewhere for the product, so it’s hard to put a number on it, but it is significant.”