Canadian Wheat Board gives loan to farmer coalition

Canadian Wheat Board gives loan to farmer coalition    The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has approved a loan of C$25,000 ($20,000) to the Farmer Rail Car Coalition (FRCC), to support its bid to acquire and manage the Canadian federal government’s 13,000 hopper cars.
   The loan is in addition to a grant of C$85,000 ($68,000) and a previous loan of C$50,000 ($40,000), both of which are repayable should the FRCC be successful in acquiring the hopper car fleet.
   “This is a small investment with the potential for huge returns,” said Ken Ritter, chair of the CWB’s board of directors. “The FRCC has put forward the only proposal for the divestment of the federal hopper car fleet that is cost effective, resolves the issue of the revenue cap for maintenance of the cars, allows for replacement of the fleet and puts farmers, not the railways or grain companies, in control.”