🌾 Happy Saturday! Grab the good coffee, not the burnt pot from Tuesday, because today we are counting down the five stories Prairie readers clicked on most this week. An ethanol plant went dark, a machinery dealer tapped out, and somehow a fourteen-year-old lawsuit still cracked the top three. Here is what you could not stop reading.
#1: Cenovus Pulls the Plug on Lloydminster Ethanol
The week's biggest draw by a wide margin.
Cenovus is closing its Lloydminster ethanol plant on Dec. 15, and the shutdown takes a 350,000-tonne home for feed wheat and canola with it. That is not a line item; that is a buyer gone from northwest Saskatchewan's marketing plan for next fall. Readers clicked because this one actually moves where the truck goes.
#2: AgWest Dealer Network Files for Creditor Protection
A 16.67 percent click rate, the hottest of the week.
AgWest, the eight-store AGCO and CLAAS dealer spanning Manitoba and Saskatchewan, filed for CCAA creditor protection this week. Parts, warranties and service plans for a lot of Prairie shops just picked up a question mark. You clicked this one harder than anything else we ran, because when the dealer network wobbles, everybody with a combine under warranty feels it.
#3: The Last Wheat Board Lawsuit Finally Dies
A Manitoba judge dismissed the final Canadian Wheat Board class action, closing the book on more than a decade of court drama. No cheque is landing in anyone's mailbox, but the Prairies' longest-running legal rerun is officially cancelled. Apparently that is worth a click even without a payout.
#4: Alberta Votes to Stay, Farms Shrug and Carry On
Albertans voted roughly 76 percent to remain in Canada, and the farm-gate version of that story is less drama and more plumbing: trade corridors, supply chains, and federal programs all stay put. Readers clicked to see what actually changes on the ground. Mostly, the answer is nothing, and that is the whole point.
#5: FarmCash Winds Down, and the Clock Is Ticking
Alberta Grains is winding down its FarmCash cash advance program, and anyone still holding one needs to act before Nov. 15. It is the kind of story that never grabs a headline but absolutely grabs a click once a deadline shows up. Mark the calendar, not just the inbox.
That is the leaderboard for this week. We will be back Monday with a fresh batch of news to argue about over coffee. Catch you then,
The Grain Bug Crew 🌾