Syngenta’s Interaction Centre at Stein, Switzerland. (Syngenta.com)

ChemChina clinches takeover of Syngenta

Reading Time: 2 minutes Zurich | Reuters –– ChemChina has won more than enough support from Syngenta shareholders to clinch its US$43 billion takeover of the Swiss pesticides and seeds group, the two companies said Friday. The deal, announced in February 2016, was prompted by China’s desire to use Syngenta’s portfolio of top-tier chemicals and patent-protected seeds to improve […] Read more

(Dow.com)

Proposed Dow, DuPont merger gets conditional nod from China

Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters — China has conditionally approved the proposed merger between Dow Chemical and DuPont, the country’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday, a step forward for the deal whose closing has been repeatedly delayed by regulatory hurdles. The merger was approved by EU antitrust regulators in March on the condition the companies divest assets […] Read more


Lakeside Grain and Feed held an InterLock field demonstration in 2008 and today have roughly a dozen farmers who are using the system.

Tighter spray control in the field

Should you be looking at the InterLock system to reduce off-target risk?

Reading Time: 6 minutes What’s in a name? Plenty — especially when it comes to reducing off-target movement of spray applications. The buzz around the launch of Xtend soybeans in 2017 is creating a new level of scrutiny on spray applications. Like it or not, consumers and governments are watching, and increased diligence is warranted. Re-enter the InterLock system. […] Read more

crop spraying potatoes

Pesticide review a huge issue for horticulture sector

Time of worker re-entry after application and use of protective equipment are stumbling blocks

Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s horticultural growers say they’re concerned about a review of many of the broad-spectrum crop protection chemistries they’ve relied on for years. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is conducting the review, with a final outcome due in 2018. That gives growers and other industry stakeholders the rest of 2017 to strengthen their arguments and […] Read more


Syngenta’s Interaction Centre at Stein, Switzerland. (Syngenta.com)

China clears ChemChina’s Syngenta deal

Reading Time: < 1 minute Zurich | Reuters — ChemChina’s US$43 billion planned takeover of Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta has received approval from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the two companies said Wednesday. “This represents a further step towards the closing of the transaction, which is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2017,” they said […] Read more

(Adama.com/YouTube)

ChemChina, Syngenta win U.S. antitrust approval for deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy Switzerland’s Syngenta on condition that it divest three pesticides, the Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday. To win approval for the $43 billion deal, the companies agreed to divest ChemChina’s generic production of the herbicide paraquat, the […] Read more


Final words on dicamba

The big concern for herbicide companies is to keep Xtend technology for years to come

Reading Time: 4 minutes In farming circles, 2017 may be remembered for a profound addition to our technology with the launch of the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean system and its companion herbicides, XtendiMax with VaporGrip technology and Engenia. Long anticipated, the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Crop System brings with it the potential to solve many issues with glyphosate-resistant […] Read more

Treated and untreated soybeans at Ridgetown, about a week after application. Plots were 30-inch centres, treated as per label instructions at the right stage for application, and under very dry conditions.

The Xtend balancing act

Dicamba-resistant technology works, but it’s not simple and it requires more learning than glyphosate-tolerant systems

Reading Time: 5 minutes The 2016 growing season saw the advent of a new technology — Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, along with its herbicide companion, XtendiMax. The technology had been anticipated for more than five years, particularly by growers in the southern U.S. where resistant weed species and continual use of Roundup Ready soybeans and cotton have been […] Read more


Figure 1: A four-leaf seedling plant with cotyledon leaves beside an eight- to 10-leaf plant that is beyond the susceptible stage for control with most herbicides.

Pest Patrol: How do I get better control of lamb’s quarters?

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 2 minutes Lamb’s quarters has consistently been identified as the most abundant and most problematic weed affecting field crop production in Ontario. Yet the Pest Management Regulatory Agency database contains hundreds of herbicides that list lamb’s quarters as either suppressed or controlled. It’s safe to say there is an arsenal of products available to farmers, but our […] Read more

Managing for glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane — and other weeds — is possible, but it will cost farmers more.

Tough news on fleabane

It takes a well thought out plan to keep glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane in check

Reading Time: 6 minutes The world of science can often provide insight into some rather grim realities. But sometimes, fortunately, it can provide more than just insight. It can provide strategic help too. That’s the case with Dr. Peter Sikkema, who opened 2017 by making a presentation on herbicide-resistant weeds at the two-day Southwest Agricultural Conference (SWAC) at the […] Read more