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Or sign-in if you have an account.The Halifax grain elevator looms behind some homes in Halifax's south end on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by Ryan Taplin/The Chronicle HeraldA critical piece of shipping and storage infrastructure for Atlantic Canadian farmers who export overseas has been given a reprieve, at least for the next three harvests.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorHalifax Grain Elevator Inc. has signed a two-year renewal with the Port of Halifax, extending the agreement until the end of 2028. The company’s lease was set to expire at the end of this year.Without the facility, which handled 500,000 tonnes of commodities in 2024, Atlantic-grown products like soybeans, wood pellets and milling wheat would have to be shipped through ports in Quebec to reach overseas markets.Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“This gives us some certainty in the marketplace,” said farmer James Kinsman, owner of Windcrest Farms and WCF Grain Solutions, near Berwick, N.S.“It gives a lot of the farmers a sense of relief that they have a local market to ship their product. It definitely calmed us down a little bit.” The Halifax grain elevator looms behind some homes in Halifax’s south end on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by Ryan Taplin /PostmediaWith the reprieve, the behemoth grain elevator will continue to have export access as the port expands its cargo and cruise ship business. But the long-term future of the key piece of agricultural infrastructure remains uncertain.“It gives us some time to sort out a plan for the future and work on a long-term solution,” said Kim Batherson, president and CEO of Halifax Grain Elevator. “The plan is for the port to continue with their expansion of the container terminal as laid out in their 50-year plan.”Released four years ago, that plan aims to handle 1.6 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of cargo and 2.4 million cruise passengers annually by 2070.Working to that goal includes infilling the grain elevator’s export docking berth where ships are loaded. That would severely restrict the elevator’s ability to load bulk vessels.To maintain loading and unloading systems, the grain elevator’s shipping and receiving galleries would eventually have to be reconfigured and merged into one.“Hopefully we’ll collaborate on what that’s going to look like. We have a runway and a reprieve,” said Batherson.“I would like to see something negotiated one way or the other within the next year because, if a local elevator needs to be expanded, it would be a two-year project.” Kim Batherson, president and CEO of Halifax Grain Elevator Limited, stands in front of the facility’s export pier berth on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldThe lease extension is also welcome news to the province’s wood pulp exporters. The facility handled nearly 225,000 tonnes of wood pellets in 2025, with most shipped to Europe.The terminal also stored over 55,000 tonnes of soybeans last year.Kinsman owns commercial grain elevators on his farm, where he stores his own crops and about 14,000 tonnes of soybeans, corn and wheat annually from other farms before shipping to the Port of Halifax.He said storage would be “the biggest concern” if the Halifax grain elevator and its 365 storage silos were no longer an option.“The biggest problem with not having Halifax Grain is the local elevators here and on Prince Edward Island can’t hold all of the crops that we have to bring in,” said Kinsman, whose farm produces 5,000 tonnes of soybeans annually . “So, if we didn’t have Halifax Grain and we had to take it all to Quebec, as an example, then we would all have to put up more storage, which is a huge expense.He said it’s imperative to find a longer-term solution to ensure local storage capacity and avoid the high costs of shipping to Quebec.“The elevator is super important and not just for the soybean farmers,” Kinsman said. “It’s huge for the small grain (farmers), especially from Prince Edward Island. From a logistic point of view, it’s so much easier for local farms to take their product there than it is to ship it up the highway.” The commercial grain elevators at Windcrest Farms and WCF Grain Solutions, near Berwick, N.S. Photo by James KinsmanBatherson said she visited concerned farmers in Nova Scotia and in P.E.I. to deliver the news the grain elevator had been given a reprieve.“They were relieved to hear that,” she said. “Those farmers are already getting hit with higher fuel prices, higher fertilizer prices. Now they get three more harvest seasons to bring their products here for export.“We’re not the grower, the producer. We don’t buy and sell the commodity. We’re the operator of the facility. We have skin in the game, but the farmers and the producers are more at risk. The consequences are more severe for the farmers, the producers, and the wood pellet guys.Batherson said she is more hopeful than a year ago about the terminal’s future.“But two years go by pretty quickly, so my foot’s not off the gas,” she said. “It’s nice to have the extra time, but we’re still going to be advocating for a long-term solution.“There’s still a lot of work to be done but at least we have shifted the story. It went from ‘There’s no future’ to ‘We can figure this out.’” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.