The Federal Government recently voted to pass Bill C-234, which makes farmers exempt from the carbon tax on natural gas and propane used on their farmland. Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food John Barlow expects this to save farmers tens of millions of dollars in costs.

President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture Keith Currie says this is a big win for farmers across the country, as we live in a northern climate meaning farmers rely on heating their barns with propane and natural gas being the key sources. Farmers also rely on these to dry grain.

"Saving that carbon tax on a very expensive bill is really important, it will realistically allow us to take that money we would have spent on the carbon tax and reinvest it into new and better technology to help lower our footprint and be more efficient," Currie said.

Investing in better technology is one of the biggest things Currie highlighted, as he explained efficiency is key. More efficient technology allows farmers to produce more while spending less, which is great for the farmer and potentially the entire supply chain.

Currie said he can't speculate on how this will impact grocery prices, as there are many factors that go into it, but lowering the cost of producing while simultaneously increasing goods could help lower prices. On top of the cost-saving efficiency benefits, better technology will also help the environment,

"That's going to have those positive environmental benefits, and really it's about sustainability improvements that we're going to have on our operations not only for today but for all the generations, for all of us. The more we can reinvest in our operations, the better they're going to be going forward."

The carbon tax exemption is even more important as Currie explained even if a farmer wanted to go green today, the option isn't available in some areas.

"We are in a position where we aren't going to have commercialized electric vehicles on farms anytime soon. It might be the better part of two decades before that comes to actual reality for everybody to have on the farm. We're relying on fossil fuels to do our business, so having these savings through Bill C-234 is really, really important for all farmers."

Bill C-234 passed the third reading vote 176-146, with all opposition party MPs (Conservative, NDP, Bloc) voting in favour. It requires one more vote in the Senate before becoming law.