WIT News

WIT Announces 2011 Results  

Claude Carles, President of ‘The Terminal’, announced today that the Company had an after-tax consolidated loss of $246,000 in Fiscal 2011, primarily the result of reduced seeded acres due to significant flooding in most of southeast Saskatchewan last year.  The flooding impacted all business units last year, with only 20 to 30% of the normal acres being seeded.  Both grain handling and  crop input sales were down significantly.  While grain volumes will be lower in 2012 until the new crop comes off, expectations are for a strong spring in the crop inputs business, as farmers look to maximize production after two consecutive years of reduced seeded acres.  “Our staff worked hard throughout the year to help our customers manage these conditions.  The continuing strong support of our customers has allowed Weyburn Inland Terminal to be a profitable, farmer owned and directed Company for many years” said Carles.  “This is the first time since 1985 that we have not been profitable, and clearly the weather events last year were insurmountable both for farmers and WIT.”  The Company paid dividends of $1,354,000 to shareholders in 2011.   

 “Our oilseed program and our commitment to cleaning and blending our customer’s grain to improve the grade, especially on grain held over from previous years’ production resulted in our ability to maintain our grain shipping program at 70 % of the previous year, even with a 75% smaller crop in our trading area” noted CEO Rob Davies.  “Our ethanol business at NorAmera was also affected by the flooding and other operational issues; however production stability has improved significantly over the past several months, and improving oil prices are a positive sign for 2012.  There are still improvements to be made, but we are optimistic about this year for NorAmera.  Our many diversification efforts have given us the ability to balance good and bad years, with average WIT profitability over the previous 10 years of $3,460,000” said Davies.  “2011 affected us the same way it affected our farm customers… very little crop, very little opportunity.  Together, we recognize that these years can happen, and together we have built enduring operations that will move forward into 2012, recognizing 2011 for the year that it was.”  WIT continues to work towards a positive future in agriculture, and supports students, customers, and local communities and organizations in southeast Saskatchewan.  Donations to these various items exceeded $70,000 in 2011. WIT believes there is a solid foundation for the business going forward as the world population continues to grow and demand more, better quality food.  

WIT is a shareholder-owned, farmer-directed grain company located on CP Rail’s Soo Line near Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Since its start in 1976, ‘The Terminal’ has been at the forefront of change in the industry, leading the way to help improve the overall efficiency of Canada’s grain-handling system. The philosophy and goals of the company are summed up in its mission statement: Profitability Through Service, Innovation and Integrity.

                                                            Contact;       Claude Carles, President

March 28, 2012                                             Rob Davies, CEO (306) 842-7436

Nexera Canola

Weyburn Inland Terminal is now offering 2012 Identity Preserved production contracts for Nexera canola.   Nexera is a specialty canola whose oil carries a premium value over the price of regular commodity canola.  Nexera canola is used by specific end users in the snack industry to provide a ‘healthier’ oil option. 

The Nexera contract premium is guaranteed on 100% of your production and varies with the different delivery period options that you can choose from.  The newest variety, Nexera RR Hybrid 1012, has shown to be very competitive in Saskatchewan yield trials this summer with some results being equal to and/or exceeding InVigor and other Hybrid varieties.  The W.I.T. Nexera contract also offers an Act of God protection with delivery options from September 2012 to August 2013. 

Please call The Terminal’s Merchandising Department at 842-7436 to discuss how a W.I.T. Nexera contract fits into your grain marketing plan and/or the Crop Input Department to get the latest agronomic information on Nexera.

 WIT Completes Sedley Seeds Purchase 

Claude Carles, President of ‘The Terminal’, announced today that the Company has completed the required due diligence and finalized the acquisition of the assets of Sedley Seeds (2007) Ltd.  WIT has acquired the assets of Sedley Seeds, including land, buildings, and rolling stock for a total purchase price of $2,900,000. 

Read more...

Nexera Canola

 Weyburn Inland Terminal is offering Nexera Canola production contracts for this spring.  Nexera Canola is a specialty oil used by crushers for specific end use customers.  This is an Identity Preserved Contract that will have specific delivery times.  The contract has a limited Act of God clause in it for production risk and the contracts has a premium over our generic canola prices.

 If you are interested, please contact the Terminal Crop Inputs division or the Marketing division for details.

Grain Marketing Specialist

Weyburn Inland Terminal (WIT) has an opening for a Grain Marketing Specialist.  This key position in the merchandising sales group will be primarily responsible for developing and expanding WIT’s oilseed and IP programs by building strong working relationships and determining grain marketing requirements of our producers. 

Read more...

The first three quarters of Fiscal 2010 set a new profitability record for Weyburn Inland Terminal Ltd., driven by both grain handling and a strong crop inputs business, as shown in the Company’s third-quarter report.

Read more...

WIT “Grain Handler Of The Year” For 2010

 The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has awarded 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% on target for end user specifications.  “WIT is very pleased to receive this award for 2009/10” said Rob Davies, 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.”

 WIT is a farmer-owned and farmer-directed grain company located on the CP Rail Soo Line near Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Since its beginning in 1976, ‘The Terminal’ has been at the forefront of change in the industry, leading the way to help improve the overall efficiency of Canada’s grain-handling system. The philosophy and goals of the company are summed up in its mission statement: Profitability Through Service, Innovation and Integrity.

As of August 01, 2010, Weyburn Inland Terminal has required CDC Triffid testing certificates for all deliveries of flaxseed. Our intention is to continue to accept flaxseed that tests positive or negative, however we must be able to segregate all deliveries based on the certificate results.

As of September 01, 2010 the Flax Council of Canada has mandated that any deliveries of flax into the commercial grain handling system will be subjected to more rigorous testing than was previously required, Producers that currently have flaxseed in the bin from previous years and have a certificate for that grain will now be required to re-test those stocks with a “four-grind test” from an approved laboratory. All new crop flaxseed will require harvest samples be tested prior to delivery to WIT including condo deliveries.

In order to ensure a test result that accurately represents the flaxseed that you deliver, it is extremely important that you follow appropriate sampling procedures. The Canadian Grain Commission guidelines on taking a representative sample are available on their website www.grainscanada.gc.ca/guides-guides/rs-er/trs-per-eng.htm, The key to accurate sampling is to sample continuously and mix the samples thoroughly as you are filling your bins.

WIT will collect and forward on your behalf samples for testing if you choose.  The turnaround for results is currently about two days.  If you provide an email address or fax number, they will also send the results to you that way.  We ask that you bring a copy into our grain buying office so that we can have it on file for you when you get your results.

Have a safe and bountiful harvest,