(Dave Bedard photo)

EU defers decision on glyphosate safety

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — The European Union on Tuesday put off a decision on whether to extend approval for glyphosate, used in herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, after a dispute between EU and U.N. agencies over whether it causes cancer. Experts from all 28 member states attended a closed-door meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, […] Read more

A high clearance sprayer on a field in a prairie landscape

Where do you cut when you have to cut costs?

As crop prices drop, growers have a new focus on cost containment. Weed control is always a big bill, so it’s only natural this gets a hard look — but taking the wrong steps could cost you money

Reading Time: 4 minutes High crop prices always make the decision to apply crop protection products relatively easy. Just a few years ago, when canola was north of $700 per tonne and wheat was sitting near $500 per tonne, the question was never “Should I spray?” it was “Why wouldn’t I spray?” After all, at those prices if you […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

EU may defer decision on glyphosate safety

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — The European Union will defer a decision on whether to extend approval for glyphosate, used in herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, following a dispute between EU and U.N. agencies over whether it causes cancer, EU sources said Monday. Experts from all 28 member states attended a closed-door meeting on Monday in Brussels, […] Read more

In Arkansas, there’s only one tool left for managing herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth — the hoe.

We need to get our herbicide resistance response right

Dealing with what's become a global problem could end up being one of Canada's key competitive advantages as a grain-exporting nation

Reading Time: 7 minutes In Australia, the problem is so bad growers are catching chaff with mechanical seed destructors or burning it in windrows in order to destroy weed seeds. In the U.S. Cotton Belt, the unthinkable has happened and crews walk through fields, hand-roguing Palmer amaranth at $150 per acre. In Europe, they’re resorting to more and more […] Read more


(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

China clears Xtend soybean variety for import

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Monsanto said on Feb. 3 it received import approval from China for its new genetically modified Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and will sell the seeds in the U.S. and Canada for the 2016 growing season. China, the world’s biggest soybean importer, does not allow imports of new genetically modified crops until they […] Read more

Figure 1. The average area sprayed (per cent) at four different treatment areas over two growing seasons in Oxford County.

Pest Patrol: What advances in precision agriculture would benefit weed control?

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 2 minutes Auto steer and real-time kinematics (RTK) that allow an operator to repeatedly get within millimetres of a target are, to me, the most obvious investment that you could make to improve the efficiency of mechanical weed control practices like inter-row cultivation. Operator fatigue and accidental damage to the crop would be greatly reduced by integrating […] Read more


(DowAgro.com)

U.S. court upholds Enlist Duo registration

Reading Time: 2 minutes An appeals court has rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) move to overturn its own registration for Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist Duo herbicide combo. The EPA in November had sought court approval to withdraw its previous registration for the proprietary glyphosate/2,4-D combination. The agency said it wanted to re-examine the product, which Enlist varieties of […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU food safety watchdog hits back in glyphosate safety row

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters –– The head of Europe’s food safety watchdog has written to a group of nearly 100 senior scientists strongly rejecting their criticisms in a row about the safety of glyphosate. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which advises European Union policymakers, issued an opinion in November that glyphosate is unlikely to cause […] Read more


“It absolutely amazes me how rapidly a weed like glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane came on the scene.” — Dr. Peter Sikkema, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus

The case for long-term weed programs

With Enlist soybeans and Roundup Ready Xtend coming, the time to start stretching your weed control horizon is right now

Reading Time: 5 minutes As a concept, a long-term weed management plan may be nothing new. Even so, however, the reasons to adopt it are looking stronger than ever thanks to a combination of new technologies and a weed-resistance threat that keeps intensifying. The concept certainly has merit, says Dr. Peter Sikkema, professor of weed science with the University […] Read more

Canada fleabane control with a post-emergent application of Banvel II (right) compared with an unsprayed check.

Pest Patrol: What’s the best way to get rid of glyphosate-resistant fleabane?

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 2 minutes I’m seeing what I assume is glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane all over the place. What is the best strategy to get rid of this weed in a corn, soybean and cereal rotation? CORN: Control of glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane has been most consistent with post-emergence herbicide applications, but good control can be achieved with pre-emergence herbicides. Of […] Read more