vintage newspaper article

Southwest Manitoba goes from dry to drenched

Our History: June 1999

Manitoba’s southwest has historically been considered a bit on the dry side, but that reputation was beginning to change in 1999. Our June 3 issue featured several stories on dealing with that year’s deluge. Many farmers were said to be seeding from hilltop to hilltop, aerial sprayers were hoping for federal government approval to apply

oats

Yorkton oat processor no longer accepting oats treated with pre-harvest glyphosate

Grain Millers Canada says its research links timing of application to reduced processing quality

Starting with the 2015 crop, oat buyer Grain Millers will no longer accept oats or oat products treated with glyphosate because of research showing it can change the processing quality. “We wouldn’t have taken this step if we didn’t think we had to,” said Terry Tyson, grain procurement manager for Grain Millers Canada based in


weeds growing in soil

Glyphosate resistance: Change now or pay later

A USDA-ERS report shows managing glyphosate resistance is more cost effective than ignoring resistance and farmers need to work together

The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service recently published the results of a study into the economics of glyphosate-resistance management on U.S. corn and soybean farms. Through surveys and computer models it determined the relative costs of ignoring the problem versus taking action to address it. The following is an excerpt from that

crop spraying

Health Canada completes review of glyphosate

Minor labelling changes are proposed

Health Canada is seeking public comments on its proposal to approve the ongoing registration of glyphosate, the widely used weed killer better known as Roundup. The department says its evaluation of scientific information “found that products containing glyphosate do not present unacceptable risks to health or the environment when used according to the proposal label


kochia weed in a field

New herbicides help producers mix up modes of action to fight resistance

Farmers can fend off herbicide-resistant weeds and make money by changing up their weed control program

How can thinking about resistance help us economically in the short and long term?” This was a question posed by Brad Ewankiw, a project manager for FMC Canada, during a presentation on FMC’s new herbicides at North Star Genetics’ annual soybean grower information day in Morris March 27. Ewankiw pointed to pre-emergent residual herbicides as

pouring farm chemicals

Glyphosate: Advice to producers remains the same

Without the introduction of herbicide-resistant canola, yields would likely be much lower than they are today

The Canola Council of Canada isn’t suggesting producers make any changes following a move by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to label glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic.” Glyphosate, the primary active ingredient in Roundup, along with malathion and diazinon received the designation due to “limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and sufficient evidence


pouring a chemical pesticide

Editorial: Just follow the label

How should farmers and the agricultural community react to news that a French agency has labelled glyphosate as “possibly carcinogenic”? We’ve already seen the battle of the competing press releases questioning the science. The usual anti-GMO suspects are no doubt having a heyday. Farmers, as usual, will be stuck in the middle. Rather than picking

crop sprayer operating in the field

Glyphosate classified as ‘probably carcinogenic’

Monsanto questions results of report, which also includes diazinon, malathion and parathion

The decision by an international group of cancer experts to classify the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide as “probably carcinogenic” has drawn fire from the product’s main maker. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a France-based arm of the World Health Organization, last Friday released its working group’s evaluations on the cancer-causing potential


Fairview, Alta. seed grower and Forage Seed Canada president Heather Kerschbaumer, says the association is seeking allies in its efforts to keep Roundup Ready alfalfa out of Canada.

Forage Seed Canada seeks allies to keep Roundup Ready alfalfa out

Forage seed growers fear they and hay exporters will lose valuable markets because of GM contamination


Heather Kerschbaumer just lost another forage seed sale because of GM contamination, reinforcing her opposition to allowing Roundup Ready alfalfa production in Canada. The Fairview, Alta., seed grower and president of Forage Seed Canada says the association is seeking allies to help block Roundup Ready alfalfa from commercial Canadian production until certain conditions are met.

weed dying in a timelapse video

Fun for farmers — watching weeds die

Time-lapse videos help farmers identify signs of herbicide resistance

The weed science team at Ohio State University has come up with a set of videos that farmers might enjoy even more than binge watching “House of Cards” — weeds slowly dying after being sprayed with herbicides. For every second of movie time shown, one hour of real time passes in the time-lapse videos. The