In some parts of Eastern Canada, the problem weed can vary from ragweed to horsetail (pictured in soybeans).

The problem with problem weeds

Different regions, different crops and different species turn ‘control’ into ‘management’

Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s a message filled with contrasts. Weed management is simple yet complex. It’s all about improving your bottom line, but it adds a cost. And although it’s all about controlling all your weeds, it often gets judged on a single weed species. In spite of all the differences that come with farming in different regions, […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. judge halts California plan for warnings on glyphosate

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A federal judge has temporarily blocked California’s plans to require cancer warnings on products containing glyphosate, in a win for manufacturer Monsanto. U.S. District Judge William Shubb said the warnings would be misleading because glyphosate is not known to cause cancer, according to court documents filed on Monday in California. He […] Read more


Millers want a maximum moisture of 13.5 per cent so they can dehull the oats properly and avoid pieces of oat hulls in the customer’s morning cereal.

More than a rotation crop for feed

Demand is increasing for this officially ‘heart healthy’ crop, but growers need to pay attention to quality

Reading Time: 5 minutes New varieties that consistently yield 120 to 140 bushels per acre. Increasing demand, with buyers paying a premium. Competitive against weeds, with good resistance to fusarium. That hardly describes a feed crop you seed last because you need it in rotation. Demand for milling oats is on the rise and processors have announced expansion. Some […] Read more

Pre-plant applications of dicamba at the high rate and to emerged fleabane rosettes have provided the most effective control of glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane (left) compared to an unsprayed strip (right) when planting Xtend soybean varieties. A followup, post-emergence application of dicamba may be necessary when new seedlings have germinated following crop emergence.

Pest Patrol: Control of Canada fleabane

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: Canada fleabane has shown up in various places on our farm this year. I assume it is glyphosate resistant. Do I have any other options for soybeans other than Xtend beans? A: Yes, research conducted by the University of Guelph (Ridgetown Campus) has shown that the addition of Eragon LQ (30 ml/acre) + Sencor […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

German coalition deal sets no timetable to end glyphosate use

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamburg | Reuters –– Germany’s draft coalition government deal includes a goal of ending use of glyphosate herbicide within the country, but gives no time frame, after Berlin swung a vote in November extending its use across the European Union. The timing of an end to glyphosate use has been highly controversial in Europe amid […] Read more

Canada fleabane continues to challenge farmers in Ontario, especially as the biotype that’s resistant to glyphosate continues to spread.

Dealing with those early weeds

Forget the old arithmetic. Your losses from early weeds are probably much more costly than you’ve ever imagined

Reading Time: 6 minutes In a time of low commodity prices and a growing incentive to maximize profit on every acre, it’s hard enough to accept that some growers are giving up $14 per acre on corn. It’s unfathomable that they might be losing $84 per acre. Yet that’s the startling assessment of the impact of delayed herbicide application […] Read more


High Clearance Sprayer

Glyphosate: the real science

Will new studies that confirm the safety of glyphosate actually stop politicians from banning an essential herbicide?

Reading Time: 6 minutes The study published in the November 9, 2017 Journal of the National Cancer Institute is crystal clear. Called “Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study”, it says: “In conclusion, we found no evidence of an association between glyphosate use and risk of any solid tumours or lymphoid malignancies, including NHL (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma) […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

France says will not ban glyphosate when no alternative

Reading Time: < 1 minute Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France | Reuters — France will not force farmers to stop using glyphosate after a ban planned within three years, in cases where an alternative has not been found, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. He added that this would likely concern 10 per cent of farms while solutions could be found for the […] Read more


The Canada 150 emblem in a durum field. (Agr.gc.ca)

Steady to lower durum market expected

Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Larger-than-expected production, a seasonal slowdown in demand and looming Italian country-of-origin-labeling regulations all loom over the Canadian durum market, with steady to lower prices anticipated over the next few months. Italian COOL regulations are set to come into effect in mid-February and require pasta makers in the country to segregate foreign durum, […] Read more

Germany’s Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt. (Thomas Imo photo, Bmel.de)

Germany’s Merkel scolds ally in glyphosate row

Reading Time: 2 minutes Berlin | Reuters — German Chancellor Angela Merkel scolded a minister on Tuesday in a bid to shield talks on forming a coalition government from a dispute between cabinet colleagues over an EU herbicide licence. Conservative Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt angered the centre-left SPD on Monday by breaking protocol to back a European Union proposal […] Read more