The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has awarded the Weyburn Inland Terminal (WIT) its "Grain Handler of the Year" designation for shipping to the US market.
"Acknowledging our grain industry partners' expertise, high performance and commitment is at the core of this awards program," said Ian White, CWB President and CEO. "We all work together to put farmers first and to market their world-class grain to the world."
Inland grain shippers are selected for overall effectiveness and accuracy of shipments. WIT shipments to the US last crop year were 100 percent on target for end user specifications.
"WIT is very pleased to receive this award for 2009-10," said Rob Davies, WIT CEO. "It is a reflection of a group effort; WIT staff who work with customers and the CWB to coordinate grain deliveries, and those who handle and clean the grain and load cars. The commitment of our customers to work with us is an integral part of the process. It really does take a team effort to execute a program this well."
The CWB depends on strong partnerships with grain companies in order to ship the wheat, durum and barley grown by western Canadian farmers. In 2009-10, grain exports totaled 18.7 million tonnes. Effective shipping performance is essential to getting farmers' grain to customers on time, providing farmers with good service and keeping farmers' shipping costs as low as possible. Altogether, there are approximately 250 different stations and terminals that handle grain grown by Prairie farmers.
"It is great to recognize the companies that have similar farmer-focused goals," said Rick Steinke, CWB Vice-president, logistics. "This teamwork directly benefits farmers while the companies earn the right to call themselves the top handler for a year."
