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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Monsanto-backed panel says glyphosate not carcinogenic
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — A panel of scientists is disputing a World Health Organization report published earlier this year that concluded glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weed killer and main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is probably carcinogenic to humans. The 16-member panel, assembled by Intertek Scientific and Regulatory Consultancy, was to present its findings to […] Read more
A costly approach to dealing with crop insects and weeds
A head-in-the-sand approach to unfamiliar insects, diseases and weeds simply won't do. Be observant. Early identification and fast action — when required — are best
Reading Time: 5 minutes If Dan Orchard had not discovered clubroot in an Alberta canola field in 2003, we’d all be in ignorant bliss right now. Orchard really should have recognized the scientific principle that if something isn’t “discovered,” then it doesn’t exist and we don’t have to worry about it. He should have left well enough alone, as […] Read more
No fallout seen for Enlist Duo in Canada from U.S. action
Reading Time: 2 minutes The company behind Enlist corn and soybeans and Enlist Duo herbicide expects business as usual for the products in Canada, while the herbicide runs up against a new regulatory hurdle in the U.S. According to the Reuters news service, the U.S. federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a request late Tuesday with the U.S. Court […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
