CFA Applauds Tentative CN Rail Deal

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) says it's pleased to hear that CN Rail and the Teamsters have reached a tentative deal and that rail service will resume operations on Wednesday.

 

"Farmers in the west rely on rail shipments to get agricultural products to market, and farmers across Canada rely on rail shipments to receive farm inputs, like fertilizer and propane. Propane is used to dry grain and heat animal barns. As a result, the interruptions in rail service came at a critical point in time for farmers," said CFA President, Mary Robinson.

 

"Harvested crops need to be transported by rail to ports for export and farmers need propane to complete harvest and dry down grains to avoid losses. The delays in rail service have resulted in significant costs for farmers in the form of hefty demurrage fees from ships forced to wait at port as well as potential losses of crops due to a lack of propane for grain dryers. However, we can express relief that a resolution was found and these delays and losses are not continuing to mount for the agricultural community. Now farmers can get back to doing what we do best: contribute to the economic development, environmental stewardship and food security for everyday Canadians," added Robinson.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.