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Accredited Exporter
Grain marketing companies authorized to fulfill Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) export sales commitments on behalf of the CWB.
Agent of the CWB
Grain handling companies that enter agreements with the CWB to purchase, process and ship grain for CWB accounts.
Agronomy
Branch of agriculture that studies crops and soils. Agronomists research crop rotation, plant breeding, soil classification, soil fertility, tillage management, weed control and pest management.
Anhydrous Ammonia
A cost-effective nitrogen fertilizer that's also known as NH3 (82-0-0). It's applied by injection below the soil surface either before or during seeding.
Biodiesel
A biofuel made by combining animal fat or vegetable oil with alcohol. It can be substituted for diesel as a stand-alone fuel or mixed as a diesel additive.
Biofuel
Renewable liquid fuels made from plant matter, not fossil fuels. Examples are ethanol and biodiesel.
Blending
Mixing varying grades of grain to achieve specific blends. Blending also refers to combining fertilizer types to meet desired nutrient levels to maximize yields.
Bundling
Selling complementary products and services together to provide competitive buying power to farmers.
Canadian Wheat Board (CWB)
The Canadian Wheat Board is the marketing authority for western Canadian wheat, durum and barley for export and domestic human
consumption.
Cash ticket
Cheque issued to a farmer for the purchase of cereal grains, special crop grains or oilseeds.
Certified seed
Seed that meets basic standards of purity and viability.
Contract calls
A formal request by CWB asking farmers to deliver a portion of their wheat and barley crops into the primary elevator system.
Crop Protection Products
Products such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides that are applied to fields to manage weeds, insects and diseases. |
Crop rotation
Yearly crop alternating to control weeds, insects, disease, and to replenish nutrients and reduce erosion.
Deferred cash ticket
A deferred payment made at the request of the producer for commodities delivered to grain companies. Desiccant
Chemical agent that is used to advance crop maturity prior to harvest.
Ethanol
A biofuel derived from grain and corn that can be used instead of or as an additive to gasoline. Ethanol is primarily used in transportation applications.
Fertilizer
Products that contain essential nutrients for plant growth, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Fungicide
Chemical applied to seed or crop foliage to control, suppress or kill fungi that cause plant diseases.
Germination
First stage in the development of a plant from seed.
Glyphosate
Broad-spectrum foliar applied herbicide that is effective in the control of weeds, including both grass and broadleaf species.
Grading
Standard system used to determine grain quality, including kernel colour, plumpness, protein concentration and size.
Grain Marketing contracts
Contracts that provide pricing choices to farmers and end-users. These contracts can be customized to meet various marketing strategies.
Herbicide
Chemical that is used to control, suppress, or kill weeds before or after crop emergence.
Hybrid
Offspring seed produced by combining genetically different parent plants. Typically, hybrids are the result of two varieties being cross-pollinated to produce a third, which has more favoured qualities.
Inputs
Components needed to grow a crop, including seed, fertilizer and crop protection products.
Metric tonne
Equals 2,204.6 pounds, as opposed to an imperial ton, which is 2,000 pounds.
MMT
Million Metric Tonnes |
Multi-car Unit Train
Trains with up to 112 cars, which are delivered to high throughput grain terminals within a specified timeline.
Oat Groats
Whole kernel of the oat, minus the hull, which can be processed into bran, flakes or flour.
Open-pollinated
Plant species not genetically altered and capable of reproducing in true form from one generation to the next.
Pool Return Outlook or PRO
An estimate of the total returns producers can expect when marketing their crops through the CWB.
Producer cars
Railcars loaded directly by producers that are made available through the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) and the CWB to specific pre-approved locations, typically export terminals.
Producer terminal
Grain handling facility owned and operated as a business venture by producers.
Production contract
Legally binding agreement for a fixed term, signed before grain production begins. A grain producer agrees to sell to the grain company a specifically designated crop raised on identified acres. The grain producer is paid according to specified terms.
Proprietary Seed
Seed owned and distributed solely by one company. Viterra owns the rights to several proprietary seed varieties.
Railcar incentives
Efficiency rebate supplied by the railways to grain companies for loading multiple car units.
Special crop
The term “special crop” refers to a diverse group of crops such as pulses (chickpeas, dry beans, dry peas and lentils), buckwheat, canary seed, mustard seed, specialty oats and sunflower seed.
Summer fallow
Agricultural land that is left unseeded during a growing season. Fallowing is often done to conserve moisture and replenish nutrients. Weed control is accomplished by tillage or herbicide application.
Tendering
Process by which the CWB tenders a portion of its annual exports to grain companies, and companies ‘bid’ either at a premium or a discount to fulfill export sales.
Urea
Urea (46-0-0) is a single nutrient fertilizer that contains a large amount of nitrogen and is manufactured from ammonia and carbon dioxide. Urea contains the highest nitrogen percentage (46%) of all granular fertilizers and is widely used as a nitrogen fertilizer for crops. |
