(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. EPA says glyphosate likely not carcinogenic

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said its current position on glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is that the chemical is not likely carcinogenic to humans. The agency’s “proposed” position on the controversial chemical was outlined in a 227-page paper it published on the regulations.gov website, which […] Read more

Tom Button

Editor’s Note: Beyond our understanding

Reading Time: 2 minutes Before you click away, read Gerald Pilger’s ‘The target is glyphosate’, even if you think you don’t have time The organization that Gerald writes about is called Avaaz, named after the root that gives us the word “voice” in several European languages. Over 44 million environmentalists around the world now belong to Avaaz, and they […] Read more


Tractor spraying wheat field with sprayer in springtime, herbicides and pesticides

The target is glyphosate

It’s time to worry. The real goal of today’s anti-GMO movement is to kill the weed killer at the core of modern agriculture

Reading Time: 6 minutes As farmers, we have a question to ask ourselves. Are we getting played? Are we getting taken in, just like an audience at a magic show that gets fooled into watching the distraction instead of what’s really happening? Is agriculture reacting to the GMO debate when we should be focusing on protecting glyphosate? These are […] Read more

Five tips for Keeping it Clean from Cereals Canada

With increased scrutiny from end-users farmers need to be vigilant to ensure their crops aren’t rejected

Stick to the pre-harvest interval (PHI). The PHI (or Spray to Swath Interval) is the number of days that must pass between the last application of a pesticide and swathing or straight combining. Read labels carefully and check out the provincial Guides to Crop Protection or consult your local provincial agronomist for more information. After[...]
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Plant of the young corn on field,selective focus

The GMO debate is far from over

The labelling issue is more about perceived risk or benefit than it is about science

Reading Time: 4 minutes With the Vermont GMO (genetically modified organism) labelling law now in effect, a number of companies has begun to voluntarily label all of their products sold anywhere in the U.S. rather than end up having to produce different labels for different states. They are, in effect, treating the Vermont law as the national standard for GMO[...]
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Apply fungicide when lentils flower

Apply fungicide when lentils flower

If you have valuable lentils out in your field, make sure you protect them from crop disease

Reading Time: 4 minutes Whether you’re an old hand at growing lentils, or relatively inexperienced, it’s worth brushing up on a few harvest tips before the combines start rolling. Harvest success begins before seeding. It’s best to pick land that’s fairly level and stone-free, says Dale Risula, provincial specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina. “Rolling your land is a[...]
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(Dave Bedard photo)

Monsanto in talks with Bayer, others about ‘strategic options’

Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto is in talks with Bayer and other companies regarding “alternative strategic options,” a month after it rejected the German company’s US$62 billion takeover offer, the U.S. seed producer said on Wednesday. Monsanto’s options include combinations with other companies and businesses in the sector beyond Bayer. Potential deals could involve BASF[...]
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(Dave Bedard photo)

European Commission to extend glyphosate licence for 18 months

Reading Time: < 1 minute Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission is extending by 18 months its approval for the herbicide glyphosate, used in Monsanto’s Roundup, Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said on Tuesday. Contradictory findings on carcinogenic risks have thrust the chemical into the centre of a dispute between EU and U.S. politicians, regulators and researchers. Campaign groups urged[...]
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(Dave Bedard photo)

EU officials to decide on Roundup after political impasse

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters –– An impasse between EU nations on whether to allow Monsanto’s Roundup and similar herbicides to continue to be sold means that the European Commission, rather than national politicians, will decide the issue next week. With most EU attention focused on Britain’s shock decision to quit the bloc, everyday work continued in[...]
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Table 1: Annual ryegrass sensitivity to soil-applied corn herbicides.

Pest Patrol: Sensitivity of inter-seeded annual ryegrass and red clover to corn herbicides

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: < 1 minute Research has been done in the United States and Canada to determine the tolerance of cover crops to various soil-applied corn herbicides. This article provides an overview of the results of that work, and provides some consensus across the different locations. Two important factors influence the potential for carryover injury to rotational crops: The sensitivity[...]
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