Reading Time: 3 minutes 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
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
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
Reading Time: 4 minutes 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
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
Reading Time: 2 minutes 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
Farmers wait for fertilizer prices to fall amid oversupply
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
Ontario budget seeks tax flexibility for on-farm processing
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
Fertilizer expected to be pricier by springtime
CNS Canada –– Relatively cheap natural gas has helped push down fertilizer prices for Canadian farmers over the past winter, but that should change by springtime. One Manitoba farm leader noted urea fertilizer that went for $545 per tonne last August could now be acquired for $445 per tonne. “Phosphate fertilizer was going for $721 […] Read more
Global markets: Apple in China, U.S. oil rig flatlining
CNS Canada –– The following is a glance at the news moving markets globally. APPLE CEO SAYS HE IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT OPENING STORE IN CHINA — Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he is not concerned about opening a new store in China, despite the country’s recent economic downturn. China has seen losses in […] 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
CVR to buy Rentech arm in N fertilizer merger
Reuters — Nitrogen fertilizer producer CVR Partners said Monday it would buy Rentech Nitrogen Partners for US$533 million, excluding debt, as global fertilizer makers scale up at a time when increased supplies weigh on nitrogen prices. The deal creates North America’s fifth-largest nitrogen producer, vaulting the companies past Norway-based Yara International. It comes less than […] Read more
Alberta producers tap into energy management program
There have been more than 400 applications in Alberta for the Growing Forward 2 On-Farm Energy Management Program
Reading Time: 2 minutes Across Alberta, agricultural producers are using new ideas and emerging technology to reduce their energy consumption. For greenhouse operators in Alberta’s challenging climate, managing energy costs is an issue of the highest importance. At Broxburn Vegetables, which operates a three-acre greenhouse growing peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers near Lethbridge, owner Paul de Jonge has tried a […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
