You have to harvest when you have to harvest. Crops don’t wait for diesel prices to come down, writes Rick MacLean. Photo by Ryan Ross /Guardian fileArticle contentSomehow they’re invisible. No mean act given they’re about 80 feet long, and when lugging a full load they can weigh about 80,000 pounds, or more.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentYet it took the shutdown of a major bridge in my hometown for repairs that were at least a decade overdue for me to notice.Article contentArticle contentTurns out, only when tractor-trailers are forced off the highway and onto a city street do they become impossible to ignore. They’re huge. They’re loud. And they’re slow.Article contentArticle contentGo ahead, try to get one of those giant suckers rolling quickly after being forced to stop at a street light on a hill. I dare you.Article contentOh, and one more thing. They’re essential, every year. How essential?Article content“Ninety percent of all consumer products and foodstuffs were shipped by truck throughout Canada, and almost two-thirds (by value) by trade with the U.S., which remains Canada’s largest trading partner. Without the trucking industry, the wheels of commerce would stop rolling,” says the Freightera blog, which is devoted to the shipping industry.Article contentWhich brings us to people like Nathan Lawless. And you.Article contentArticle contentExploding cost of dieselArticle contentWhen a CBC reporter wanted to explore the exploding cost of diesel fuel, and what it means to us, he did just what we teach journalism students to do. He found a “victim.”Article contentVictim is a technical term in our trade. It means someone affected by the thing you’re writing a story about.Article contentNathan Lawless is a farmer in Kinkora. So he’s definitely affected.Article contentArticle contentImagine you have two combine harvesters. They each hold 950 litres of diesel at a go. And that fuel has leaped in price from about $1.60 litre in places like Nova Scotia in early January to $2.75 now.Article contentArticle contentI thought refilling Beautiful Wife’s SUV was pricey, and …Article content“BW, did you know your gas light was on? I went to the store and it was empty.”Article content“Oh, I never noticed it.”Article content“It’s that bright yellow light … never mind.”Article contentI used to be able to refill her vehicle at a rate of about $1.30 a litre, a ridiculous amount, I thought not so long ago. Remember when gas hit 70-some cents during Covid – when no one was travelling anywhere? Now? It’s cheap if you can get it at $1.95 in New Brunswick and $2.15 in P.E.I. this week.Article contentArticle contentA bit of sticker shockArticle contentNow multiply that by the kind of numbers that farmers like Lawless face.Article contentAn empty combine tank will happily take in $1,520 worth of diesel. Every couple of days during harvest time. And that was in the good old days of ‘cheap’ diesel. Now it’s $2,600 for a fill up.
RICK MacLEAN: Like farmers, we just hope for better days
