CN Rail submitted its 2025-26 Grain Plan to Transport Canada at the end of July.
CN's Assistant Vice-President of Grain, David Przednowek, says the grain plan is based on what CN knows from customers and other stakeholders about the volume of grain and processed grain products that it expects to move over the course of the 2025-26 crop year.
"The grain plan goes into detail around the resources that are in place to move that volume of grain over the course of the crop year. As it stood when the grain plan was published, the expectation based on crop production expectations from AG Canada and others suggested that the volume of grain CN could expect to move would be somewhere between 27 and 29 and a half million metric tonnes. Of course, that's a moving target at that time; we, of course, have to see harvest results roll in."
The crop across the prairies is quite variable. We've had some decent filling weather in areas that have gotten showers, while other areas didn't see the rains when they needed them.
The grain plan sets out CN's current target based on the numbers at the time, but they are capable of moving more.
He points out for the 2024-25 crop year they set an all-time record for grain movement out of Western Canada, moving 31.1 million metric tonnes.
"The participants in the markets did a really good job of drawing down on-farm carryout stocks," he believes. "They are going to be at historically low levels."
Przednowek says the pace of grain movement in the first couple weeks in August reflects that because you need a new crop to recharge.
To hear Glenda-Lee's conversation with CN's Assistant Vice-President of Grain, David Przednowek, click on the link below. To view CN's 2025-26 Grain Plan click here.