Glacier FarmMedia – The rapid pace of change brought by genome editing tools has created many new opportunities for the agri-food industry, but they aren’t without challenges. Regulatory hurdles must be considered, and the tools must benefit society as well as the agriculture industry. That was the focus of a recent paper and webinar by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, which discussed the application
The road to acceptance for gene editing
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology offers recommendations to ensure plant breeding tech continues to benefit agriculture
Quicker tissue test for corn growers
Testing for nutrients takes an in-field turn with newer technology
Glacier FarmMedia – A nutrient testing system first used in potatoes is now moving into corn. The Leaf-Evaluated-Nutrient-System (LENS) unit from Picketa Systems, based in Fredericton, N.B., is promising growers and crop advisers a new, efficient and cost-effective testing method for nutrients. The technology has been used in potato crops for the past three growing seasons, and the company
How EU policies may affect edible bean production in Canada
MRL limits and trade deals that exert influence are risks to Canadian growers
Glacier FarmMedia – He edible bean complex is a unique market among row crops. Whether white, black, kidneys or adzukis, beans are grown under contract and face more consumer- and quality-based directives than corn or soybeans. Yet there are rising concerns about maximum residue limits (MRLs) set out by the European Union for certain chemical
Is the picture of biologicals clearing?
Understanding what the industry offers is a big part of finding an answer
The interest in biologicals is growing quickly, including in the potato sector. For the National Potato Guide, we asked representatives of two companies involved in the sector, Can Grow Crop Solutions and Vive Crop Protection (with Pro Farm), for their perspectives on where the potato sector is heading with biologicals. The biologicals sector can be
Potato growers have another option against verticillium wilt
Registration of a new mustard hybrid could also help combat nematodes
In the past few years, growers in the horticulture sector have had to cope with government deregistration of several active ingredients, leaving many to try different measures and concepts to deal with challenges of diseases and insect pests. Now comes word of a return to yesterday, of sorts, employing a newly registered male sterile mustard
First Living Lab focused on potatoes
Federal funding program helped look at cover crop effects and reducing tillage in potatoes
The first Living Lab – Atlantic program was heavily focused on potato research and has led to an increase in the integration of cover crops into potato growing areas in Prince Edward Island. The Living Lab was led by the East Prince Agri-Environment Association (EPAA), with the involvement of the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Potato
Revolutionary technology shows promise in potatoes
The potential for spray-induced gene silencing seems extraordinary, but it could help with disease control in potatoes
In February 2022, an email was circulated by Dr. Eugenia Banks of the Ontario Potato Board, about a new method for control of late blight in potatoes, called spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS). The technology has its origins in research by Dr. Aline Koch and a team of German researchers for the control of Fusarium head blight
Taking the bite out of cold-weather livestock care
Strategies for keeping calves warm and healthy
Glacier FarmMedia – The youngest calves on the farm are the most sensitive to temperature changes and, in the case of a turn toward colder weather, producers can have problems managing morbidity, mortality and suboptimal growth rates, said Sarah Morrison. She is a research scientist with the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy,
Sequence of oat genome a major step forward
The result is a roadmap that will help tame the crop’s genetic complexity
Glacier FarmMedia – In a region dominated by canola and wheat, oat production can be undervalued. But those who grow it for food markets, work in the seed trade or feed it to livestock defend the crop’s production and value. That is why the recent sequencing of the oat genome is viewed with anticipation. Creation
The effects of mycotoxin exposure in cattle
Dairy cattle are often affected by multiple mycotoxins when levels reach a damaging threshold in feed
Mycotoxin concern in cattle tends to focus on deoxynivalenol (DON) but there’s a realm of other dangerous mycotoxins that can have an effect. Why it matters: In dairy cows, too much mycotoxin exposure has serious impacts on feeding and gestation. In poultry and pigs, the effects can be fatal. Dr. Gustavo Scheunemann of Ohio State
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
