Discussion · Government Orders
Branden Leslie Conservative
“High diesel prices, expensive fertilizer, and low grain prices are hurting family farms. Running a combine can cost $250 an hour in fuel alone. The government should have supported our motion to lower diesel costs for farmers and truckers.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the kind words. It is a huge challenge, because people do not understand farming at scale. If we are running a combine right now, and have a particularly late harvest in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, we are running at $250 an hour in diesel running all day with multiple combines. That is our profit at the end of the year going up in smoke. This is not something that can be eaten, particularly by grain producers. The price is the price and it is stubbornly low. Inputs for fertilizer and every other input throughout the value chain in creating that crop has been very high in the lead-up to that harvest. This is a real dagger in the profitability of our family farms. We must remember we are a family farming nation. Of all the farms in Canada, 97% are family farms. It turns out that anybody who lives in a rural area knows that when our farmers have a good year our communities have a good year because of the donations and purchases made across our community. That is evident when our farmers are having a good year, and that is why it is so vital. It is a shame the government did not support our important motion on diesel yesterday to try to lower costs not just for farmers, but for all of the truckers who are transporting that food and every other processed good to grocery store shelves for Canadians across this country.”
-
Reply to a debate question
Relevance 100 of 100
Of this reply, 100% addressed the question or point raised.
See full analysis
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the kind words. It is a huge challenge, because people do not understand farming at scale. If we are running a combine right now, and have a particularly late harvest in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, we are running at $250 an hour in diesel running all day with multiple combines. That is our profit at the end of the year going up in smoke. This is not something that can be eaten, particularly by grain producers. The price is the price and it is stubbornly low. Inputs for fertilizer and every other input throughout the value chain in creating that crop has been very high in the lead-up to that harvest. This is a real dagger in the profitability of our family farms. We must remember we are a family farming nation. Of all the farms in Canada, 97% are family farms. It turns out that anybody who lives in a rural area knows that when our farmers have a good year our communities have a good year because of the donations and purchases made across our community. That is evident when our farmers are having a good year, and that is why it is so vital. It is a shame the government did not support our important motion on diesel yesterday to try to lower costs not just for farmers, but for all of the truckers who are transporting that food and every other processed good to grocery store shelves for Canadians across this country.