Flea beetles in canola seedlings. (Canola Council of Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Flea beetles a nuisance for canola crop

Reading Time: 2 minutes [UPDATED: June 22, 2021] MarketsFarm — Western Canada’s canola crop has been hit hard by hot, dry weather so far this growing season in the midst of ongoing drought conditions — which may also be aiding another threat. *Across the Prairies, flea beetles are an oft-seen pest that feeds on both canola and mustard seedlings, […] Read more

Cutworms. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Prairie growers on lookout as insects seize opportunity

Dry conditions, delayed seeding lift pest counts

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — With most Prairie growers’ newly seeded crops already up against dry conditions, growers remain on the lookout for insects which further threaten the health of those seedlings. Considering the high prices of many crops this season, the potential damage would be more costly. John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, said there is a […] Read more


Continuous corn and reliance on weaker resistance to corn rootworm has led to yield losses in silage corn.

Getting to the root of corn rootworm

How alarmed should you be about the threat of corn rootworm due to the expansion of continuous corn acres?

Reading Time: 6 minutes For a large percentage of growers in Eastern Canada, corn production isn’t just one crop in the rotation, it’s the main crop in that rotation. For others — mostly livestock producers — it’s the only crop. That dominance is creating concerns as the incidence of resistance of corn rootworm becomes a more-pressing issue. Even so, […] Read more

A wireworm in a potato in close-up. (MegaV0lt/iStock/Getty Images)

Wireworms a target for first Group 30 insecticide in Canada

BASF picks up registration for two broflanilide products

Reading Time: 2 minutes The list of insecticides cleared for use in Canadian crops now includes its first Group 30 chemistry, as BASF makes plans to launch it in new wireworm control products next year. BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions on Monday announced approval from Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for broflanilide, a GABA-gated chloride channel allosteric modulator. […] Read more


Chicks atop images from a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Elanco forgoes Canadian poultry insecticide rights for Bayer deal

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Elanco Animal Health has decided against acquiring Bayer’s Canadian distribution rights to several poultry insecticides, Canada’s Competition Bureau said on Tuesday, as it looks to complete a $7.6-billion deal. The U.S.-based company will also divest its canine ear infection treatment product Osurnia and Bayer’s feline dewormer Profender to address competition concerns about its […] Read more

File photo of an oil palm tree plantation in Thailand. (Pigphoto/iStock/Getty Images)

Thailand’s ban on two ag chemicals troubles farmers, industries

Paraquat, chlorpyrifos added to 'Type 4' list

Reading Time: 2 minutes Bangkok | Reuters — Thailand enforced a ban on Monday on two agricultural chemicals widely regarded as toxic to humans, prompting claims from farmers they will face losses, while environmental campaigners welcomed a step toward sustainability. Many countries have already prohibited paraquat, a broad-spectrum herbicide, and chlorpyrifos, an insecticide. Some 10 million farming households in […] Read more


Bean leaf beetle is another pest increasing in numbers in soybean and edible bean fields.

What’s going to ‘bug’ you in 2020?

Western bean cutworm is quickly climbing the ranks as our biggest threat

Reading Time: 6 minutes Insect pests never seem to get the respect they deserve. If they present a threat during a growing season, they move front and centre, but more often they’re a much lower concern than fertility, weeds and diseases. Some of that is thanks to today’s improved genetics and commercial varieties and hybrids that produce their hardier, […] Read more

Mosquito control would be one of the few uses still allowed for chlorpyrifos under a proposal from Health Canada’s PMRA. (Tskstock/iStock/Getty Images)

Corteva to stop making Lorsban

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Corteva will stop producing the agricultural pesticide chlorpyrifos by the end of the year, the company said on Thursday, removing the world’s largest manufacturer of a chemical that has been linked to low birth weight, reduced IQ and attention disorders in children. Corteva, spun off last year after a merger of […] Read more


The active ingredient in Sefina — afidopyropen — interferes with an aphid’s orientation and balance, preventing them from feeding on soybean leaves.

A new insecticide for soybean aphids

Sefina’s control of soybean aphids differs from other products

Reading Time: 4 minutes Much anticipation always arrives with each new growing season. Successes are kept in perspective while past challenges are minimized, and the promise of a fresh start is enticing, if not a small source of anxiety. It’s much the same for a product launch: there’s the potential to help growers enhance their crop production, whether it’s […] Read more

Biobeds contain a mix of topsoil, compost and straw to absorb and then break down the pesticides to the point where they pose no further threat to the environment.

Cleaning up the leftovers

AAFC has prepared a comprehensive manual on how to use “biobeds” to process pesticide sprayer rinsate

Reading Time: 5 minutes Despite careful calculation to mix just the right amount of pesticide to cover a field, there’s sometimes that little bit left over, or the rinsate which gets dumped onto a grassy or non-crop area, which can harm the environment. Up to 80 per cent of contaminants found in water bodies trace back to farms, according […] Read more