Richardson was a minority shareholder of Calgary-based Matex (formally known as Control Chemical Corporation) since 1989 before fully acquiring the company in 2021. Matex produces drilling fluids and vegetable oil-based lubricants used in mining and resource extraction processes.

Richardson supplied Matex with canola oil from its processing plant in Lethbridge, Alta.

Matex also makes specialty polymers, foams, blast hole stabilizers, thread compounds and non-alcohol freeze control fluids.

In a statement, Richardson said the sale more closely aligns with its “farm-to-table value chain” and “sets up Matex for continued success and stability under new ownership.”

“We saw an opportunity to transition Matex to an ownership group that is well positioned to support the business into the future,” said Darrell Sobkow, executive vice-president, processing, food and ingredients at Richardson International.

“Matex has built a strong reputation in its market, and we’re confident it will be in great hands. We thank Matex employees for their dedication throughout this process, and we are committed to working closely with the new owners to support a smooth transition.”

– With files from Dave Bedard

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The grain company rejoined the organization at its March 12 annual general meeting after nearly a nine-year hiatus.

“Richardson is a significant player in the industry in a number of different capacities, including as an exporter and processor, so it’s great to have them around the table as a member of the council,” said council president Chris Davison.

Richardson withdrew its funding from the canola council, the Flax Council of Canada and Soy Canada at the end of 2017.

It had been spending more than $1 million per year funding the three organizations.

“We don’t think we got the value out of it,” Jean-Marc Ruest, Richardson’s senior vice-president of corporate affairs, said at the time.

Davison said the council maintained a working relationship with Richardson over the ensuing years.

Recently he discussed the council’s updated priorities with the grain company.

“That led to a decision from them to rejoin the council as a regular member,” he said.

WHY IT MATTERS: Richardson was the only major grain company that was not a member of the council.

He doesn’t know what tipped the scale.

“That’s a question you might have to ask them,” said Davison.

“I think it’s more than one thing.”

Richardson was contacted for this story but did not reply in time to meet The Western Producer’s publication deadline.

One of Richardson’s original concerns surrounded the council’s extensive work on agronomy when the private sector had its own agronomists working in the countryside.

The council seemingly addressed that concern when it announced a “refreshed” strategic framework on July 31, 2025.

In that announcement, the organization said it would no longer maintain a field-based agronomy team.

Davison said the council will instead focus on maintaining or enhancing the ability to innovate, promoting canola’s role in biofuel, ensuring market access for canola products and conducting targeted market development around the world.

Exporters and processors provided $1.33 million, or 36 per cent, of the council’s core funding in 2025.

That compares to $1.55 million contributed by provincial grower groups, $750,000 from life science companies and $21,000 from affiliate memberships.

Davison would not divulge how much Richardson would be paying in 2026.

“We don’t talk about the amounts that individual organizations contribute,” he said.

However, he noted that it will be helpful to have the grain company back in the fold when it comes to tackling priorities and co-ordinating and aligning activities.

“The more of the industry that we have represented at the table the better that is,” said Davison.

Aaron Anderson of Richardson is one of three new directors for 2026-27. He will be a director-at-large nominated by the council’s board.

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Aaron Anderson of Richardson International is listed as one of three new directors for 2026-27.

Anderson will be a director-at-large nominated by the council’s board.

It is an interesting development because Richardson withdrew its funding from the Canola Council of Canada, the Flax Council of Canada and Soy Canada in late-2017.

It had been spending more than $1 million per year funding the three organizations.

“We don’t think we got the value out of it,” Jean-Marc Ruest, Richardson’s senior vice-president of corporate affairs, said at the time.

WHY IT MATTERS: The board appointment suggest industry heavyweight Richardson may have rejoined the commodity group.^

There were no press releases issued by either the canola council or Richardson about the company rejoining the fold.

The Western Producer has contacted both organizations and is waiting for a reply.

One of Richardson’s original concerns was over the canola council’s extensive work on agronomy when the private sector already had its own agronomists working in the countryside.

“Is there an element of duplication that should be looked at?” said Ruest at the time.

The council seemingly addressed that concern when it announced a “refreshed” strategic framework on July 31, 2025.

In that announcement, the organization said it would no longer maintain a field-based agronomy team.

The council said it would instead focus on three core priorities:

• Sustainable and reliable supply — growing the volume of Canadian canola to meet domestic and global market needs.
• Stable markets for value optimization — growing the economic value of canola by developing and defending markets for Canadian canola and canola products.
• Member service excellence — delivering continued value to members through council services and working to strengthen coordination and engagement with industry partners.

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Darwin Sobkow was announced Jan. 6 as the company’s new chief executive officer, effective Jan. 10 with the formal retirement of Curt Vossen, the company’s CEO since 1995.

Sobkow served as chief operations officer since 2020 for the Winnipeg-based, privately-held firm, an arm of family-owned James Richardson & Sons.

The company’s ag industry holdings include a network of 55 Prairie grain elevators; port terminals in B.C., Ontario and Quebec; canola crush plants at Lethbridge and Yorkton; oat milling facilities in the three Prairie provinces and one each in the U.S. and U.K.; several further-processing plants; and 93 Prairie ag retail outlets supplying seed and crop inputs to farmers in the region.

During a nearly 30-year stint as CEO, Vossen oversaw much of that expansion, including the acquisition of more grain elevators, mainly during other Prairie grain handlers’ mergers and divestitures—as well as acquisitions such as U.S. durum miller Italgrani USA and the U.S.-based Wesson cooking oil brand.

“Under his leadership and bold vision, Richardson International evolved into a world-class organization with expertise across its vertically integrated agribusiness and food processing operations,” the company said in its Jan. 6 announcement.

Richardson noted Sobkow, who started with Richardson in 1999 as executive vice-president for agribusiness operations and processing, was “instrumental” in those acquisitions and integrations.

His “operational expertise and deep industry knowledge will guide Richardson International into its next phase of growth,” the company said.

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Winnipeg-based Richardson on Monday announced expanded rail car spots for its elevators at Lacombe, Carseland, Provost and Olds, Alta.; Estevan, Whitewood and Nokomis, Sask.; and its Dundonald elevator about 20 km north of Portage la Prairie, Man.

At Whitewood, about 110 km south of Yorkton, the expansion work will also include upgraded storage capacity, bringing it up to about 44,800 tonnes from its current 31,140. A company spokesperson said the upgrades will also boost that site’s loading speed to 134 cars in 16 hours.

The expansion work is due to start later this summer for completion by the end of next year, Richardson said.

The expansions, CPKC said, will allow future trains from these sites to run under the railway’s 8,500-foot (2.6-kilometre) High Efficiency Product (HEP) model.

CPKC’s standard unit train for grain, which today runs up to 7,000 feet (2.1 km), is the model Richardson today ships from 27 CPKC-served elevators in Canada and one in the northern U.S.

In 2018, before its merger with Kansas City Southern, CP unveiled new high-efficiency grain hopper cars for the HEP model, featuring a five per cent shorter frame capable of carrying 10 per cent greater weight and 15 per cent more volume than previous-generation hopper cars. In all, CP said at the time, the 8,500-foot HEP train model is expected to allow a train to handle about 44 percent more grain.

Richardson’s newest elevator, commissioned earlier this year at Carmichael, Sask., about 65 km southwest of Swift Current, marks the grain handler’s first 8,500-foot HEP-compatible site, with a loop track to handle up to 175 high cube-style rail cars.

Richardson president Darwin Sobkow said in a release Monday the expansions at the eight Prairie elevators “will increase capacity and efficiency, enabling Richardson to further benefit from CPKC’s single-line network reaching Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.”

CPKC executive vice-president John Brooks said in the same release Monday that “Richardson’s ability to run longer trains will mean more grain shipped per train, tighter cycles and more Richardson trains moving across our expanded, single-line network throughout the season.”

The move follows the completion in April of CPKC’s merger, which officially ties CP’s track to Kansas City’s lines in the U.S. and Mexico.

That single-line rail network will also make for a “seamless pipeline” between Richardson’s Prairie elevators in “durum-rich areas in Saskatchewan” and its U.S. durum flour milling operation, Italgrani, at St. Louis, CPKC said Monday.

“Furthermore, the combined network and markets in the southern U.S. and Mexico are opening new doors to Richardson for their grains, oilseeds and processed products.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 announced Tuesday (Jan. 25) its negotiating committee “fully endorses” the new offer after the company’s Richardson Oilseed division “enhanced its offer of settlement.”

The workers’ previous contract expired at the end of August 2019; the union and company had agreed during earlier talks to seek a five-year contract taking it through to Aug. 31, 2024.

The next employee vote — to be held in person Feb. 1 at the Holiday Inn Express Lethbridge Southeast, and online on Feb. 2 — will be the second after workers voted 79 per cent to reject a previous proposal before Christmas.

Despite the union negotiators’ endorsement, UFCW said Tuesday, if the new offer is rejected, “we will proceed with the next steps towards a strike vote.”

The new offer, retroactive to September 2019, would see workers get a 2.25 per cent raise in the agreement’s first year, 2.75 per cent in the second, three per cent in the third and 2.5 per cent in each of the following three years — adding a sixth year to the agreement.

“By moving the money earlier in the contract, the negotiating committee was able to put more money in the membership pockets sooner,” UFCW executive director Chris O’Halloran said in a release Tuesday after the company agreed to the new raise schedule.

“We had heard that the membership wanted to see three per cent raises, and the company had offered them, but we wanted the money earlier in the CBA (collective bargaining agreement).”

Supplying customers in Canada and the U.S. as well as other export markets, Winnipeg-based Richardson’s Lethbridge plant has capacity to handle up to 700,000 tonnes of canola per year, following a $120 million expansion in 2017.

The Lethbridge plant includes a packaging facility at which canola oil is bottled and margarine and shortening are packaged. Its products are sold under the Canola Harvest and Wesson brands and to private-label and foodservice customers.

Richardson’s other oilseed facilities include its canola crush and refining plant at Yorkton, Sask. and its margarine plant at Oakville, Ont. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The arm of Winnipeg’s Richardson International said Monday it has started construction on a new elevator at High Level in northwestern Alberta, about 200 km south of the province’s border with the Northwest Territories.

The new facility, connected to Canadian National Railway (CN) track, will have 32,000 tonnes of storage capacity and a loop track configuration able to load 135 rail cars, the company said.

Richardson Pioneer’s current wooden crib elevator at High Level has 6,500 tonnes of storage capacity.

The new facility, expected to be complete by fall 2020, will “work closely” with Richardson Pioneer’s new crop inputs business at nearby La Crete, bought in February from AgLand Seed and Chemical.

“The High Level area, with its solid and loyal customer base, is an important market for us,” Darwin Sobkow, the company’s executive vice-president of operations, said in Monday’s release.

“The construction of this new facility, along with the recently acquired crop input business in La Crete, shows our long-term commitment to the area and ensures we will be able to meet our customers’ growing needs.”

The company, in its release, also hailed the “collaborative efforts” of High Level town officials and of the High Level Agricultural Exhibition Association, which it said “ensured the project proceeded in a timely manner.”

The Town of High Level, in a separate release, said the new elevator’s site will take up a section of land formerly occupied by the association.

“In order to facilitate the new project, the town has been working with the (association) to relocate to a new site nearby and are currently working to prepare the lot in advance,” the town said.

High Level Mayor Crystal McAteer hailed the announcement as “a dream come true” for the town, adding that area farmers “will be able to save valuable time and thousands of dollars in transportation costs from not having to drive all the way to other grain handling facilities.”

Town officials, she said, are “extremely grateful” to the association “for seeing the benefit of the new grain terminal to the entire region and once again agreeing to move their infrastructure to a new location.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Beijing this month cancelled Richardson’s registration to ship Canadian canola to China, the world’s top importer of the oilseed, in the latest sign of tensions between the countries, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Canada and China are locked in a dispute over trade and telecoms technology that has ensnared the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker, who faces U.S. criminal charges.

China foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Wednesday that customs officials had frequently discovered pests in samples taken recently from imports from Canada, which supplies more than 90 per cent of Chinese canola imports.

Winnipeg-based, privately-held Richardson is the largest exporter of Canadian canola to China and its shipments met Chinese requirements, said Jean-Marc Ruest, the company’s general counsel and senior vice-president of corporate affairs.

“We’re firmly of the view that there was no substantiation of those allegations,” he said in a phone interview.

Richardson is working with the Canadian government to end China’s block on its canola shipments but does not know how long the suspension will last, Ruest said.

Asked about the reason for the suspension, he said: “We can only guess at this point in time. We’re a prominent Canadian corporation.”

Beijing has previously warned of potential curbs on canola imports, citing concerns over fungus in the imports. Canola is used for cooking and as feed for animals and fish.

In 2016, China tried to impose tougher standards on levels of foreign material in canola imports, which was seen by some as an effort by China to reduce high domestic stocks.

“Recently China customs frequently detected hazardous pests in imports of Canadian canola, and in one company’s imports the problem was particularly serious,” Lu said during a regular press briefing.

Lu did not identify the company but said the situation led customs to temporarily suspend imports.

The latest suspension was completely “reasonable and legal” and aimed at protecting the health and safety of Chinese citizens, Lu said.

Canada’s agriculture minister said Tuesday that Canada’s food inspection agency had carried out further investigations in response to China’s moves and had not identified any pests or bacteria of concern.

ICE May canola futures fell for a second straight day, down $2.30 or 0.5 per cent, to $455.50 in midday trading.

— Reporting for Reuters by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Tom Polansek in Chicago; writing by Dominique Patton.

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It was not immediately clear why exports to China by Richardson, the world’s top importer of canola, had been halted.

Canada and China are locked in a dispute over trade and telecoms technology that has ensnared the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker, who faces U.S. criminal charges.

Officials at China’s General Administration of Customs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Richardson spokeswoman Hayley Johnson confirmed that China revoked the company’s import permit for canola, after Reuters earlier reported a document listing approved shippers posted on the website of the Chinese customs administration on March 1 showed the cancellation.

The document is a revised version of a notice first posted on Jan. 14. A note beside the entry for Richardson International in the latest document reads: “Canola export registration already canceled.”

A lasting block on Richardson’s canola exports would be a headache for Canada’s biggest grain handler and a potential blow for the country’s economy as a whole.

Oilseeds like canola, fruit and grain are Canada’s biggest China export category, making up nearly 17 per cent of all exports in 2017, the latest annual data available, according to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

ICE May canola futures closed Tuesday at $457.80 per tonne, down $5 from Monday’s close.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was “very concerned” by the blocked shipment.

“We do not believe there is any scientific basis for this… we are working very very hard with the Chinese government on this issue,” she told reporters in Longueuil, Que., saying the matter was of the utmost priority for Ottawa.

“We are aware of challenges our exporters have faced shipping to China — these are concerning as they create instability and add costs,” Heidi Dancho of the Canola Council of Canada told MarketsFarm on Tuesday via email.

However, she added, “while diplomatic frictions are concerning, there is no clear evidence that current challenges are linked to these frictions.”

Canadian canola, Australian coal

As the diplomatic dispute between China and Canada intensified, Beijing has detained two Canadians working in China, and on Monday accused one of them of stealing Chinese state secrets passed on to him by the other.

There had already been reports last month that Canadian canola shipments to China had been slow to clear customs amid the dispute.

“It’s been ongoing, but to have a major announcement like this was a little bit of a surprise for the trade,” a canola exporter with another company told MarketsFarm Tuesday.

Issues with re-inspection of cargoes and import permits had already caused problems for the past few months for exporters, he said.

China buys some $2.5 billion of Canadian canola per year, and a slower pace of sales would mean another hit for exporters, which also include Viterra and Cargill.

The restriction on imports of canola from a country with which links have worsened echoes moves by Chinese customs to slow clearing of Australian coal imports.

Australia’s ties with China have deteriorated since 2017, when Canberra accused China of meddling in its domestic affairs.

— Reporting by Dominique Patton in Beijing and Rod Nickel in Kabul; additional reporting by Hallie Gu in Beijing, David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Tom Polansek in Chicago. Includes files from Phil Franz-Warkentin of MarketsFarm in Winnipeg.

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“I think it’s very positive. We’re seeing lots of activity in the oats industry,” Art Enns, president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association, said in a phone interview.

Enns, who farms at Morris, Man., about 50 km south of Winnipeg, said Canadian farmers aren’t likely to feel any major effects from the deal, because substantial oat exports to Europe remain years away.

Tariffs are scheduled to come down, gradually, under the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union.

However, Enns emphasized, the deal adds to the flurry of activity underway in the sector.

He pointed to expansions at oat processing plants in Western Canada, including a $100 million expansion at Grain Millers in Yorkton, Sask., and at smaller plants at Emerson, Man., and in Alberta.

Enns also pointed to heavy demand for Canadian oats from the U.S. and Mexico, which is expected to continue for some time.

Canada, he said, is presently filling almost 100 per cent of the Mexican demand.

As well, U.S. millers have been stockpiling oats to hedge supplies, in the event of future delivery problems, as happened during Canada’s grain transportation crisis in 2014.

Enns also pointed to industry hopes that it will be able to improve access to Chinese markets and said discussions are already underway to that end.

Australia currently supplies most of China’s imported oats, and Enns said the amount Australia supplies is on a steady upward trend.

However, he added, Australia doesn’t have huge amounts of oats available, and that may leave an opening for a new seller. Australia shipped about 250,000 tonnes to China in 2015.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences forecast oats in that country to decrease to 1.2 million tonnes this year. Canadian oat growers produced about 3.1 million tonnes in 2016.

Winnipeg-based Richardson announced Monday it had closed its deal to buy EOM effective June 15. EOM, of Bedford, England, is the second-largest oat milling company in Europe, while Richardson is the largest oat miller in North America.

— Terry Fries writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

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