The first agricultural produce to leave Picton Bay by ship since the end of the County’s cannery days at Picton Harbour is now being stored at the new Parrish & Heimbecker grain silos.

P&H trumpeted the arrival on social media February 3. “The first truck arrived at our Picton Terminal this morning,” the Canadian agribusiness giant posted on Facebook. “Can’t wait to welcome more farmers to the new facility.”

Driver Gerald Nyman of Reynolds Brothers Trucking delivered a load of wheat to the facility early last week. The load came from Trenton Grain Elevator on Telephone Road in Quinte West. That facility is also owned by P&H.

In light of geopolitical tensions and the Elbows Up movement, Jeff Harrison, Chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario, said he hoped County residents view the new era of agricultural transshipment from Picton as a point of national pride.

“As the P&H export facility receives its first truckloads of grain in Picton, it is my hope that Prince Edward County will look upon Picton Terminals and the departing ships with Canadian pride. 

“Those shipments of grain will service nations around the world. Those nations need our high quality, Ontario-grown grain,” Mr. Harrison told the Gazette.

P&H employs more than 1,500 people at its 70 locations across the country. Established in 1909, they are Canada’s largest flour miller and also specialize in grain merchandising, crop inputs, and feed mills. P&H exports to two dozen countries. 

Requests to P&H for comment on when transhipment activities will commence, potential ports of call and which commodities will be accumulated at the Picton silos were not returned prior to press time.