Western Canadian farmers loaded 12,784 producer cars during the 2010-11 crop year. that's just shy of the record set in 2008-09 of 12,934 cars.

Mark Dyck, the CWB's Senior Manager of Rail Logistics, tells us that's the second highest number of cars in history. He notes the number is even more impressive when you consider 10 million acres in Western Canada were not seeded in 2010 due to excess moisture, predominantly in northeast Saskatchewan.

Producer-car use has increased dramatically over the past 15 years as farmers continue to invest in their own grain-loading facilities and shortline railroads - creating options for themselves in the face of massive closures of Prairie elevators and railway branch lines over the past two decades. Dyck says farmers can save between $600 to $1600 per car in handling charges by using producer cars. According to the CWB, direct savings to Prairie farmers totalled nearly $11 million in the last year.

There are more than 120 producer-car loading sites on the Prairies, as well as 14 shortlines. The vast majority of producer cars are used for wheat or durum wheat as part of the CWB's overall export program, in collaboration with producer-car networks across the Prairies. Only 463 (about three per cent) were loaded with non-board grain last year.

Meanwhile, the CWB feels there is uncertainty regarding the future of producer cars in Western Canada due to the Tories plans to scrap its single desk. The CWB enables use of producer cars by securing car supply and arranging their transportation with the major railways, and by ensuring they will be accepted at port terminals.

Saskatchewan farmer and President of the Producer Car Shippers of Canada Tim Coulter shares that concern, saying producer cars work now because of the CWB. He adds grain companies have little interest in facilitating producer cars, since they are essentially in competition with their own services.