ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS 19 KWS Hybrid Rye ““KWS Hybrid Rye is second-to-none in biomass and grain yield. Growing it offers our farm unparalleled feed flexibility; we can use the crop anywhere from early-cut timing, to late-cut, and all the way to grain. The straw alone provides a lot of value to our operation.” Arjen Kielstra | Asquith, SK Want to harvest good protein yields early in the year and be able to grow another crop afterwards? Choose KWS Hybrid Rye. The perfect double-cropping solution for your fields. #KWSHybridRye With the spring thaw, Ontario grain once again starts making its way to overseas customers by ship. It’s a seasonal rite for marine transportation, one which you’d think would be nearly automatic by now. But it turns out that managing the logistics of moving and loading grain-carrying vessels is no simple task. Take, for example, the Detroit River and western Lake Erie’s Pelee Passage, a highly valued route in the North American commodity trade. From shore, ships appear to glide effortlessly along the busy, narrow waterway, after being loaded with grain dockside in Windsor. But from weather to scheduling to ship design, getting grain commodities flowing into ships’ holds and then down the river is neither quick nor straightforward, with ample opportunities for logistical snarls. ADM’s Windsor facility, which district grain officials and producers toured earlier this winter, is a vital regional hub for grain transportation. It comprises a grain terminal and crush plant for extracting and blending soybean and canola oils from eastern and western Canada. Those products, as well as soybean meal and other raw commodities, are exported mostly by ship to customers worldwide. In total, up to 80 vessels visit ADM Windsor in any given year. Last year, ADM expanded its grain terminal at the Port of Windsor, significantly increasing its export capacity to global markets and its support of agricultural production from southwestern Ontario farmers. The expansion included new grain dryers, a new roadway and kiosk system to load soybean and canola meal, additional meal space at the ADM crush plant and new silos and conveyance to efficiently load export meal and grain. "This expansion offers multiple beneficial effects on the local economy, including increasing demand for locally grown products, supporting and growing the regional transportation industry, and contributing to increased use of marine logistics," Kevin Wright, general manager of ADM Great Lakes Region says. The expanded facility impressed tour participant Shawn Brenneman, chair of St. Clair Soil and Crop Improvement Association. He said ADM Windsor’s operation is yet another reminder that Ontario grain growers are playing in a global market. “I am overwhelmed with ADM’s reach across Canada and the world,” he says. “I wasn’t aware of all the company’s processing capabilities.” A HUGE COMPETITIVE EDGE The proximity to marine shipping gives Ontario grain producers a huge competitive advantage. Dickerson says production logistics require precision timing by grain processors and handlers like ADM. “Ontario grows the lion’s share of Canada’s corn, soybeans and winter wheat, and they come off in quick succession from July to December,” she says. “With the seaway closed January to March, we have a narrow post-harvest export window. If we miss that window, our exports are competing headto-head with Brazil and Argentina’s massive harvests in the spring.” Clearing the summer wheat harvest and making room to move out autumn corn and soybeans can be a huge logistical undertaking. “That’s why shipping capacity investments matter,” Dickerson says. “They give us more space and options to keep the pipeline moving.” ADM’s soybean crush facility – one of just two in the province – and purchases of winter canola from area producers also contribute to Windsor’s unique positioning. Recent storage and receiving infrastructure upgrades further contribute to the terminal’s capacity and efficiency. continued on page 20
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