Farmers with tractors bearing the slogan “If the farmer dies, the land dies” take part in a demonstration organized by the German Farmers’ Association under the slogan “Too much is too much! Now it’s over!” in front of the Brandenburg Gate. This was prompted by the German government’s plans to abolish the agricultural diesel tax and the motor vehicle tax exemption for agriculture and forestry. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa via Reuters Connect.

German farmers protest with tractors against austerity measures

The German government proposed to abolish fuel subsidies to meet savings targets

According to next year's budget, a partial tax refund on agricultural diesel, along with a tax exemption for agricultural vehicles, will be abolished to meet the saving targets - a measure farmers said would threaten their livelihood and the competitiveness of Germany's agricultural sector.

FCC sees calmer waters ahead on input market

FCC sees calmer waters ahead on input market

Has the market finally steadied, or it is the calm before another storm?

Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing crop input prices have stabilized as the world adapts to global supply challenges. That was the message as Farm Credit Canada provided its latest update on input prices for the 2024 crop year. Why it matters: Wild price swings for crop inputs, especially fertilizer, appear […] Read more

Brent November 2023 crude oil with 20-day moving average (black line) and West Texas intermediate November 2023 crude oil (blue line). (Barchart)

Will oil hit US$100? It already did in some markets

Saudi Arabia, Russia 'in solid control'

London | Reuters –– With oil investors and traders focused on an oil-price rally that has come close to US$100 a barrel, some grades of crude oil are already trading above that milestone, highlighting an expectation of tight supply. The outright price of Nigerian crude Qua Iboe surpassed $100 a barrel on Monday, according to […] Read more

NYMEX August 2023 West Texas Intermediate crude oil, with August 2023 Brent crude oil (black line). (Barchart)

Extent of Saudi oil production cut unclear

Reported tensions within OPEC limit price gains

MarketsFarm — At the OPEC+ meeting Sunday in Vienna, Saudi Arabia announced it will cut its oil production by one million barrels per day (BPD) come July. And while that move was bullish for the markets, by how much remains to be seen, said Phil Flynn of the Price Futures Group in Chicago. “It’s probably […] Read more


Pickup trucks roll out of General Motors’ assembly plant at Oshawa, Ont. (Media.gm.ca)

GM CEO says ‘we are selling every truck we can build’

Rising fuel prices not seen undermining big truck demand, yet

Detroit | Reuters — General Motors CEO Mary Barra said on Monday the automaker is “selling every truck we can build” and expanding North American truck-building capacity, even as U.S. gasoline prices hit record highs. Barra made her comments during the automaker’s annual shareholder meeting. GM is pursuing a two-track strategy: Investing heavily in electric […] Read more

Fuel is the biggest single cost in grain drying, and costs have been going up year over year, regardless of what type of fuel is used.

High fuel costs a burden for drying grain

Fuel is one of many cost increases for elevators and farmers

High propane and natural gas costs loom ominously over growers and grain dryers.  According to Ron Campbell, operations and member service manager with the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA), the upward trend of per-bushel drying costs is a universal concern for the province’s grain elevators. While specific numbers for fuel are hard to identify, particularly propane, […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Diesel prices, carbon tax cause headaches for farmers

MarketsFarm — Crude oil prices have been steadily on the rise since last November as oil-producing nations implement production cuts and Canadian farmers already affected by climbing diesel prices will have to dig deeper into their wallets this April. On April 1, the federal government’s carbon levy on diesel will go up from 8.05 cents […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Tight supplies could see diesel prices rise

CNS Canada – As supply tightens, farmers should consider stocking up on diesel before it’s too late, according to an analyst. “We think the market’s getting kind of overdone down here and this might be your best chance…if we do get a cold winter I think we’ll see these prices really pop,” said Phil Flynn […] Read more

(Photo courtesy CN)

Grain handle helps lift CN quarterly revenue

An increase in Canadian grain traffic helped support Canadian National Railway’s third-quarter revenues, though the costs of increased traffic ate at its bottom line. Montreal-based CN on Tuesday reported net income of $958 million on total revenues of $3.221 billion for the quarter ending Sept. 30, down from $972 million on $3.014 billion in the […] Read more