Commercial farming is a substantial industry within Canada. Statistics Canada reports that there are more than 205,000 farms across the country, with Ontario housing the most (52,000) and Alberta housing the second-most (43,200), according to the most recent 2011 records. However, the number of farms isn’t the only thing that makes the industry so important. The agriculture and agri-food industry produces a higher GDP (gross domestic product) for Canada ($110 billion annually) than do 2/3 of the world’s countries, and it employs approximately 2.3 million Canadians (which translates to 1 in 8 jobs being connected to Canada’s farms). Canada is the 5th largest agriculture exporter in the world; it accounts for 75 per cent of global maple syrup production; is the largest producer and exporter of flaxseed, canola, pulses, and durum wheat; and is the world’s third-largest exporter of pork products. Clearly, Canada’s commercial farms hold an important position in Canada’s economy, but those farms are only able to be as productive as their economy needs them to be when they have access to the best gas and electricity deals on the energy market.
Why would such a productive industry need to worry so much about finding the best energy deals?
Canadian farmers need to worry about finding the best gas and electricity deals for their commercial farms because the productivity of Canada’s farms is directly impacted by the amount they have to spend on their energy needs. Commercial farms consume large amounts of natural gas and electricity in all aspects of production. When those forms of production become too expensive due to high costs of the energy required to power them, those commercial farms lose the profit margins that allow them to invest and grow, and that directly impacts the health and stability of a significant contributor to Canada’s economy.
In fact, Natural Resources Canada reported that Alberta farms consumed a total of 1813 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity—that’s 1,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh), or enough to power 88 Canadian homes for an entire year—and 6,898 terajoules (TJ) of natural gas in 2000 alone. Ontario farms consumed even more: 2,764 GWh of electricity and 10,061 TJ of natural gas. The biggest consumers? Dairy farms, on average, are the biggest electricity consumers, and greenhouses are the biggest consumers of natural gas. However, whichever type of commercial farm you are running, your profitability is directly connected to the affordability of energy, and that means finding the best gas and electricity deals is imperative.
How can you find the best gas and electricity deals for your commercial farm?
If you are running a commercial farm, you need to be on the lookout for the best gas and electricity deals on the market so you can maintain your farm’s profitability—and affordability. This doesn’t have to be as challenging as it may seem, though. Companies like energyrates.ca are available to help you compare gas and electricity rates among suppliers. You can also look to the suppliers themselves: some offer specific rate programs that cater to commercial farms. Just make sure you find the supplier that offers the best option for your commercial farm’s size, scale, and energy requirements (natural gas, electricity, or a combination of the two).
Your commercial farm is an integral part of Canada’s economy, so let us help you find the best gas and electricity deals on the market so you can continue to grow your business as profitably as possible.
