FEATURE BUYING MORE GRAIN FROM Canadian farmers' new 'marketing freedom' having impact on the North American trade flows by Leo Quigley T he winter of 2013-14 was a wake-up call for Canada. Not only were major industries affected by a serious slowdown in the rail transportation, but farmers who were blessed with record crops found themselves unable to move quickly to markets and had to accept lower prices as a consequence. They were not alone, as all industries struggled with this issue and Canada's overall economic performance suffered. The effects of the record cold winter hit everyone from retailers whose merchandise was slowed as container trains grew shorter and slower due to the seeds, potash and lumber that were forced to layoff staff and disappoint long time customers. The impact of the polar vortex on industry in Canada has not been forgotten. In Western Canada the Premiers of the three Western-most provinces - 96 January 2015 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.comhttp://www.World-Grain.com