Like many Prairie farmers, Webb has used a steady paycheque from working on drilling rigs in winter and summer for decades to pay down his land and equipment debt and stabilize his farm income. Each idle drilling rig represents about 25 field jobs, says Kevin Neveu, president and CEO of Calgary-based Precision Drilling. He said only 42 of the company's 142 Canadian drilling rigs are working these days and that's unlikely to climb beyond 80 this winter, the peak drilling season in Western Canada. Farmers vital cogNeveu said farmers are a vital cog in the drilling business for more than their complementary schedules. Webb, who now works for oil producer ConocoPhillips as a supervisor of the rigs it hires, says there are fewer farmers on rigs these days.

Source: CBC News October 09, 2016 15:33 UTC