CNS Canada — While just about everyone agrees the plunging price of oil will have a bearish effect on commodity prices, the size and impact of that fall seems to vary. As recently as Nov. 4, crude oil prices were $48.64 a barrel, but since then have fallen to US$37.86, as of Wednesday’s opening. Some […] Read more
Views mixed on impact of crude’s slip for ag markets
Diesel prices remain high across Prairies
CNS Canada — While the price of crude oil continues to decline across North American markets, diesel remains stubbornly high in Western Canada. Prices are equal to gasoline, or in some cases, exceeding them by as much as 10 cents in some Saskatchewan and Manitoba locations. “Diesel production in the West has been crimped by […] Read more
Public comment sought for Hardisty oil terminal expansion
Comments on the project must be received by Nov. 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute The public is being asked to comment on the proposed Hardisty Rail Terminal Project. USD Terminals Canada is proposing to construct and operate nine new rail tracks and loading infrastructure at its existing rail terminal, located 10 kilometres southeast of Hardisty in eastern Alberta. The proposed project would allow the existing facility, which currently loads […] Read more
Schoepp: What’s a more important sector: oil or agriculture?
Take a comprehensive look at the facts and the answer is obvious
Reading Time: 4 minutes As we drove through the blueberry fields and cranberry bogs in southern B.C., I thought of economic generators. What, I wondered, was a bigger sustainable economic generator to our nation: oil or agriculture? An environmental scan of an industry must include the long-term effects on people and the planet. The structures that we employ for […] Read more
Diesel prices seen softening soon
CNS Canada — Canadian diesel prices should go down between now and the end of the summer, according to a fuel expert. Since early May, the price of diesel across the Prairies has largely been in and around the 94-98 cents per litre range. Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service reported prices on […] Read more
Diesel prices seen staying low until July
CNS Canada –– The price of diesel has fallen to the same level as gasoline across Western Canada, but a Chicago-based analyst doesn’t expect it to stay that way for too long. “Probably after the Fourth of July, late July and August the prices may start to edge up,” said Phil Flynn, energy market analyst […] Read more
Cost index trimmed for railways’ grain revenue cap
A sharper-than-expected drop in fuel costs has led federal regulators to dial back the index that decides how much money railways get to keep from hauling Prairie grain. The Canadian Transportation Agency on announced Thursday it will cut its volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) by 5.6 per cent, to 1.2517, for the 2015-16 crop year. […] Read more
Diesel prices expected to see pressure in second quarter
CNS Canada — The spring thaw may bring lower diesel prices to farmers in North America, according to a New Jersey-based oil expert. “A lot of new refining, worldwide, is coming on for diesel,” said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. Compared to other fuels such as gasoline or jet […] Read more
Crop prices tied to petroleum and that’s not good for farmers
British economist says the biofuel boom led to a massive increase in production of grains and oilseeds, which firmly linked agriculture to energy markets
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers in the FarmTech conference room looked crestfallen after David Jackson told them the global oilseed market is tied to petroleum — and that oil prices will remain low for a long time. “A lot of it is out of your control,” said the British economist and director of oilseeds at LMC International, a global […] Read more
Don’t expect diesel, fertilizer, and chemicals to match oil’s steep decline
Experts say it’s a mixed bag when it comes to input costs
Reading Time: 4 minutes Falling oil prices are bad news for energy producers, but that should be good news for farmers and other big users of fuel and energy-intensive products. “We’re paying 30 or 40 cents a litre less for gas today than we were three or four months ago,” said Michael Burt, director of industrial economic trends with […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
