Viterra recently broke ground on its newest grain elevator in Dalhart, Tex., to be served by Union Pacific (UP), and G3 Canada announced plans to build a new grain terminal at the Port of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, which is served by Genesee & Wyoming’s Quebec Gatineau Railway, CN, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). Additionally, CPKC is elevating Cargill Elva (Canada) and Elbow Lake Co-op Grain (U.S.) to grain elevators of the year.
Viterra on Feb. 25 reported that when its new facility opens in mid-2026, it will include a “state-of-the-art” grain handling system, as well as a loop track served by UP. The marketer and handler of grains and oilseeds partners with farmers in the U.S. and Mexico to connect them with grain markets worldwide. Its U.S. and Mexico business is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., and the company offers a network of marketing offices in more than 30 countries.
“Today’s [Feb. 25] groundbreaking signifies a significant step in enhancing Viterra’s ability to serve the West Texas region and builds momentum toward a stronger network,” said Rayner Freyberg, CEO U.S. and Mexico for Viterra, which already has nine facilities located in West Texas and one in East Texas. “We look forward to this facility’s completion and expanding our customer reach.”
“Union Pacific appreciates and values the relationship we have with Viterra to provide safe and reliable service to this growing agricultural market for years to come,” noted Jason Hess, Senior Vice President–Marketing and Sales for UP, which took part, along with Viterra and local community leaders, in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility. “We innovate for growth just like this, investing more than $10 million per day in infrastructure, technology and network expansion to provide solutions for our customers to win in the marketplace.”
Also on Feb. 25, G3 Canada reported that it will replace its current facility at the Port of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, with an all-new 65,000 metric-ton facility that “has been designed for efficiency, featuring improved truck circulation.” With three “high-speed” receiving lanes, wait times will be reduced and grain-handling capacity will be increased, the Canadian grain company said.
In collaboration with the Port’s recently announced Terminal 16 and 17 project, G3 said it will also be installing three new modern ship loaders, each with dust control technology to lessen the environmental impact.
Demolition of the existing silos is slated for this month, with the project wrapping up ahead of the 2027 growing season. G3, which operates a network of grain elevators in Western Canada and a network of port terminals in Eastern Canada, said that it will continue to work closely with Quebec producers, with contingency plans involving G3 locations in St-Denis and Quebec.
“This announcement of our new investments is excellent news for the Quebec producers that we serve,” said Philippe Belanger, Director of Eastern Canada Operations at Winnipeg, Manitoba-based G3, whose operating companies include G3 Canada and G3 Terminal Vancouver. “Our facility at the Port of Trois-Rivières allows direct access for producers to market their grain around the world, and we thank the Port and the government of Canada for their support in this major development project.”
Meanwhile, Cargill Elva (Canada) and Elbow Lake Co-op Grain (U.S.) have earned Grain Elevator of the Year awards for the 2023-2024 crop year from CPKC.
Each crop year, the Class I railroad presents the award to one grain customer in Canada and one in the United States, recognizing facilities that “move high volumes from a single loading point while consistently demonstrating efficient railcar loading and a strong commitment to safety.”
Melita, Manitoba-based Cargill Elva, a first-time winner, “has shown safe and efficient loading operations with each unit-train loaded at the site while moving more than 450,000 metric tons of grain,” CPKC reported March 3. Minnesota-based Elbow Lake Co-op Grain, which has received the award for past three crop years, had the highest tonnage across the U.S. north network with more than 543,000 metric tons for the full crop year, an increase from the previous year, according to the Class I railroad. Additionally, the co-op leveraged the expanded CPKC network with multiple corn trains to Mexico.
“Our grain Elevator of the Year award honors a commitment to safe and efficient operations in our grain supply chain as we work together to help producers in Canada and the U.S. supply the world with high-quality agricultural products,” said Jonathan Wahba, CPKC Senior Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Intermodal, Automotive and Bulk. “Congratulations to Cargill Elva and to Elbow Lake Co-op Grain, marking its third straight Elevator of the Year award, for their outstanding performance.”
“We appreciate CPKC’s recognition of our team’s efforts in Elva who work every day to provide farmers with safe, reliable access to markets for their grain around the world,” Cargill Limited President Jeff Vassart said. “Cargill continues to make significant investments in our grain elevator and canola processing facilities to serve Canadian farmers, and we are excited to open our new Canola processing facility in Regina later this year. I’d like to thank our team and customers in Elva for their support enabling us to achieve this award.”
“We’re very happy to be recognized by CPKC for our performance for the third year in a row,” commented Elbow Lake Co-op Grain General Manager Kevin Stein. “It’s really a joint effort between Elbow Lake Co-op Grain, the customers who support our business and the CPKC railroad.”
