For farmers in Battle River—Crowfoot, diesel is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

Every tractor, combine, swather and semi-truck depends on diesel to keep operations moving from seeding to harvest. When diesel prices spike, the cost for farmers is felt immediately.

Across the province, producers are telling me about the pain they are feeling as diesel prices continue to climb. In Camrose, marked, or farm, diesel that cost around $1.14 per litre in July climbed to roughly $1.86 per litre just weeks ago and have since risen above $2.00 per litre.

Some farmers report paying as much as $2.19 per litre. Prices can jump overnight based on a single announcement or development, making it difficult to plan ahead.

Former Member of Parliament for Battle River—Crowfoot and farmer in Consort, Damien Kurek shared with me that a typical harvest day on a medium-sized farm can require about 2,500 litres of diesel. At today’s prices, that can mean fuel costs of roughly $5,000 per day during harvest. 

Over a month-long harvest, that adds up to as much as $150,000 just to keep equipment running.

Another local farm shared that the cost of filling a 4,500-litre bulk fuel tank has nearly doubled in just over a year, rising from less than $5,000 to more than $9,000. For operations that use tens of thousands of litres of diesel annually, these increases translate into significant new costs that ultimately increase the cost of producing food, moving goods and running a farm.

Producers are also worried about growing uncertainty. Prices are swinging wildly from day to day and producers are concerned about the long-term reliability of fuel supplies heading into next year’;s growing season.

Canada’s continued reliance on supply chains and energy prices beyond our control leaves producers vulnerable to disruptions and price shocks. Despite being one of the world’s most energy-rich countries, Canadians are still exposed to fuel uncertainty that drives up costs for the farmers who feed our country.

Conservatives believe farmers need immediate relief.

That starts with our recently announced Emergency Fuel Relief Plan. The plan will help offset the extraordinary fuel costs by cutting federal taxes on diesel, scrapping costly production taxes and increasing Canadian fuel production to help bring prices to save Canadians today and fuel ourselves tomorrow.

Canada has the resources to power its own economy, yet years of Liberal gatekeeping have left us dependent on others while not all Canadians have access to our own energy resources. The Plan will fuel ourselves at home by fast-tracking refineries and fuel infrastructure, incentivizing new investment and strengthening Canada’s energy security. We should be using Canadian energy to power Canada.

Farmers should be able to focus on growing food, not worrying about whether the next fuel bill will put their operation deep in the red.

Conservatives will keep fighting to save you money, restore certainty and ensure Canadian farmers have the tools they need to succeed, feed our country and be able to pass their farms on to the next generation.