natural gas Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

Ottawa roundup: Carbon tax, Grain Act review, Horticultural Council AGM

Despite much of the world’s focus being on slumping stock markets and a global pandemic, there are several recent developments out of Ottawa related to agriculture: Canada Grain Act Canada’s Treasury Board has identified the Canada Grain Act as a piece of legislation in need of regulatory reform. This has been on the federal Liberal […] Read more

Crops, Machinery & Shop, Weather

Green Party backs grain drying exemption from carbon tax

By GFM Staff January 20, 2020

One of the federal opposition parties in full favour of carbon pricing is lending its support to calls by farm groups for a carbon tax break for grain drying. Vancouver Island MP Paul Manly, the Green Party’s caucus critic for agriculture, announced the party’s position Monday. “We support the grain producers of Canada in their […] Read more

Crops, Machinery & Shop

Fraser: The case against carbon pricing for farmers

By D.c. Fraser January 9, 2020

The federal government continues to suggest the carbon tax imposed on Prairie farmers is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and may not be causing undue harm to the country’s agricultural sector. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks publicly about “special considerations” for farmers, while at the same time openly questioning carbon pricing’s effect on their […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Machinery & Shop

Quebec ag co-op to power up on dairy cattle manure

By GFM Staff December 16, 2019

About a dozen Quebec dairy farms will be getting their collective manure together next year for the province’s first-ever ag co-operative devoted to renewable natural gas. Coop Agri-Energie Warwick, launched Monday, plans to start construction this spring on a $12 million biomethanization plant which will take in slurry and manure from dairy cattle mixed with […] Read more

General, Weather

Rural development strategy sought in federal shuffle

By GFM Staff January 17, 2019

Rural economic development has been given a promotion at the federal level in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s latest cabinet shuffle. In the shuffle, following the departure of Treasury Board president Scott Brison from cabinet, Trudeau on Monday called up Bernadette Jordan, MP for the southern Nova Scotia riding of South Shore-St.Margaret’s, to head a newly […] Read more

Your best bang for your energy buck might not be a solar array but some cheap and easy fixes that reduce power or fuel usage, says Lyle Lawrence, an energy outreach officer with the province.

Machinery & Shop, News

Quick steps to better energy efficiency

Energy expert offers some ‘low-hanging fruit’ that can help producers save money on their power or fuel bill

By Jeff Melchior June 30, 2018

Maximizing energy efficiency on farms and ranches saves money, and who likes to spend money when they don’t have to? But there are only so many hours in the day and only so many dollars for these sorts of projects. So the real question for many farmers is: Where to start? What are the ‘low-hanging […] Read more

News

Orphan wells a growing problem for Alberta farmers

There are thousands of abandoned wells, which not only means  lost rents but weed issues and contamination risks

By Alexis Kienlen April 11, 2018

Landowners and farmers could be left holding the bill following the bankruptcy of yet another Alberta energy company. Calgary-based natural gas producer Sequoia Resources Corp. ceased operations last month, abandoning a number of aging oil and gas wells that need to be sealed and cleaned up. “With Sequoia, there are 3,000 wells — 700 abandoned […] Read more

News

Geo-exchange: down but not out

Although lower natural gas prices have taken some  of the shine off geo-exchange systems, they can still have  a place in a renewable energy setup

By Jeff Melchior June 30, 2017

Geo-exchange heating and cooling systems were big a decade ago, but that was before natural gas prices plunged and the payback of using the ground as a heat source in the winter and a heat sink in the summer became less attractive. But don’t count this technology out quite yet, said energy specialist Thomas Barr, […] Read more

Crops

Farmers wait for fertilizer prices to fall amid oversupply

By Dave Sims May 31, 2017

CNS Canada — As more fertilizer plants are built around the world and U.S. corn acreage shrinks, the typical thinking holds that prices for urea and nitrogen should fall, but that hasn’t been the case so far for Canadian farmers. “They’re more on the steady side,” said Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association […] Read more

Crops, Machinery & Shop

Ontario budget seeks tax flexibility for on-farm processing

By John Greig April 28, 2017

The Ontario government has balanced its budget for the first time in since 2008 — but Thursday’s budget contained little news for agriculture and rural Ontario. Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s budget mostly highlighted agriculture programs that had already been announced, and maintains $100 million in funding for the provincial Risk Management Program, which helps offsets […] Read more

ADM beats profit estimates but revenue disappoints

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures jump on tightening supplies

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat hit two-week lows on COVID-19 fears

GFM Network News